Potent Snare
by ShutUpAndPaddle
Summary: Help is something people rarely ask for, however, there comes a time where help must be accepted whether you want it or not.
1. Chapter 1

**Potent Snare**

**Chapter 1**

Zoë woke one morning as her phone vibrated wildly on the bedside table. She pulled out of Horatio's loose grip and rolled over and picked her phone up, she felt an instant chill shroud her body as she moved to the cold area whereas Horatio was perfectly warm. She squinted as she read the caller ID. '_Natalia?_' She thought to herself and then quickly accepted the call and put the phone to her ear as she laid back.

"Natalia, is everything okay?" Zoë asked as she rubbed one of her eyes as Horatio moved closer to her and wrapped his warm arm around her and pulled her over to him. She let out a small giggle as she playfully swatted Horatio's forearm as he moved his hand down to her shorts.

"I'm so sorry Natalia, don't mind me." Zoë apologised for giggling on the phone. "Behave" she mouthed silently to Horatio after he lifted his head and looked at Zoë, tiredly and squinting.

"I'm sorry to bother you Zoë and so early on a Saturday morning, but I've fallen down the stairs and I think I may have broken my wrist. I'm not sure though and I don't want to go to the hospital if I'm unsure." Natalia said softly, and then hissed in pain. Horatio lifted Zoë's top as he put is head back down on the cool spot on the pillow and exhaled softly and closed his eyes as his fingers skimmed from her belly button up to her ribs and back again.

"Not a problem Natalia, just stay right where you are, don't move. I'll be over in a few minutes, is there a spare key outside?" Zoë asked softly as she pushed Horatio's arm from her stomach and sat up, having pulled out of Horatio's grip. She pushed her hair back as it draped down the right side of her face. He opened his eyes and looked up at her just as she turned and climbed out of bed, he'd heard the seriousness in her voice when talking to Natalia, but was still in the slightly dazed sleep mode, so it didn't fully click.

"Yeah, it's under the middle plant pot, but I can answer the door to you." Natalia said softly.

"No, I don't want you to move Natalia, I'll find the key." Zoë said as she pulled underwear and clothes from the draws and wardrobe. She threw a pair of boxers at Horatio after he'd closed his eyes again, she saw that she'd startled him as his body jolted awake again as the boxers landed on his face. She pressed her lips together to stop a giggle escaping them as she turned around as Horatio pulled the boxers off his face and then lifted his head and looked down to Zoë.

"Okay" Natalia said quietly, just as Zoë looked back to Horatio and he saw that she was trying her hardest not to laugh. She took a deep breath and looked away from Horatio's sarcastically displeased face as he picked up the boxers in his right hand, because she wanted to laugh the more she looked at him.

"I'm just getting dressed and I'll be right over with Horatio, is that okay?" Zoë questioned as she pulled her shorts down with her left hand and then kicked them up into the air and watched them land in the washing bin. She glanced over to Horatio as he exhaled softly and slowly climbed out of bed.

"Yeah, thank you Zoë." Natalia said softly and they hung up, she turned to Horatio as she watched him wrap his arms around himself when his warm skin came in contact with the cold air. She then felt cold herself and she realised she'd left the air con on overnight.

"Sorry gorgeous" she apologised quickly as she walked past him as he changed into his boxers quickly. She pulled his clothes from the wardrobe and then threw some clothes to him, she then pulled some of her clothes from the hangers and changed as she walked out.

"Is it throw everything at Horatio day?" Horatio questioned sarcastically with a smile as he pulled on his trousers and shirt.

"Maybe" she smiled as she tied her hair up and glanced round to him.

"Why was I not informed?" He questioned while he did his buttons up, studying her as she tucked her shirt into her trousers.

"I like to surprise you." She said as she quickly applied a small amount of mascara.

"How about a different surprise?" Horatio questioned suggestively as he glanced down to her ass as she bent over slightly, closer to the mirror with a boyish grin.

"What sort of different surprise?" She asked innocently as she stood back up and looked round to him, sweetly and then applied a small amount of lip-gloss.

"Undressing again?" He questioned as he pulled his jacket on and she glanced back to him with a smile.

"That wouldn't be a surprise anymore though, would it?" She giggled softly as she threw the lip-gloss into her make-up box on the side.

A smile developed across his face as he glanced down and realised he hadn't done his cuffs up, so pulled his jacket sleeves up and did them up. "I guess you're right." He mumbled softly as he pulled his sleeves back down and sorted his jacket out.

She strolled into the bathroom after pulling some socks on and began to do her teeth.

"Why are we up and dressed?" Horatio questioned as he strolled into the bathroom and picked up his toothbrush.

"Natalia's fallen down the stairs." Zoë murmured as she tilted her head back so the toothpaste didn't fall out of her mouth.

Horatio squeezed the toothpaste onto his toothbrush. "Why didn't she ring for an ambulance?"

"She's unsure if she's broken her wrist. She said she didn't want to go to hospital if she wasn't sure it was broken." Zoë said after she spat the mouthwash out and Horatio nodded. They finished up in the bathroom and headed through to the bedroom.

"Let's go." She said as she walked out with Horatio following.

They arrived at Natalia's and got out of the car, Zoë quickly pulled the first aid kit from the back seat and walked up her path with Horatio as he placed his hand on her lower back. They got into the house and quickly closed the door and saw Natalia sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Zoë's eyes softened on Natalia.

"Oh Natalia, how did you manage that?" She questioned softly as she crouched in front of her as she placed her first aid bag on the floor. Horatio looked from Natalia and glanced around the house, studying the neutral décor.

"I don't know, I must have just slipped." She said as she glanced up at Horatio, Horatio looked back to her and gave her a silent, warm smile. Natalia then looked back to Zoë.

"Did you pass out?" Zoë questioned and Natalia shook her head.

"Okay, try and keep your head still, I want to just feel your neck okay?" Zoë asked as she moved closer and placed her hands on either side of Natalia's neck.

"Did you knock yourself out at all?" Zoë asked with a small frown.

"No." Natalia replied as she felt Zoë's fingers move about her neck.

"Okay, any pain or tenderness?"

"No, it's just my wrist that is hurting me."

"I know, I have to check though. I just want to shine this torch into your eyes, okay?" Zoë asked and Natalia nodded. Zoë quickly checked her eyes and then took her pulse. Zoë glanced up to Horatio and saw him peering around again as he set his hands onto his hips.

"I didn't disturb anything this morning did I?" Natalia whispered to Zoë and Zoë looked up at her and she remembered that she giggled on the phone.

"No, you'd just woke me up, don't worry about it." Zoë replied quietly with a sweet smile and Horatio looked back to them. Natalia gave her a nod as Zoë looked down to her wrist.

"Okay, I'm just going to look at your wrist okay? I'll try and be gentle." Zoë said and Natalia handed Zoë her left hand. Natalia hissed as Zoë felt the bones, she clenched her teeth together and glanced up at Zoë. Zoë's concentration was purely on the wrist, examining it closely and thoroughly.

"What sort of pain are you getting?" Zoë asked as she glanced up to Natalia.

"Just a sharp pain"

"Can you move your fingers for me please?"

Zoë watched Natalia move her fingers and create a fist. "Okay, I don't think it's broken or fractured. There's no discolouration or swelling and usually with fractures the pain isn't sharp, it's more of a burning aching pain. I don't think it's necessary to go to hospital, but we'll happily take you if you want?"

"I'm fine thank you, I just wanted your opinion."

"Okay, here's a support grip, it'll help. Keep it on for a few days, but don't stop moving the wrist as it'll seize up." Zoë said as she gently put the grip on her wrist.

"Thank you Zoë, I'm so sorry for bothering both of you so early on a Saturday morning."

"Don't worry about it, I'm happy you called." Zoë said softly and she then helped Natalia up.

"Are you sure you're okay Miss Boa Vista?" Horatio asked with his smouldering intensity, concerned about her.

"Yeah, I really am, thank you Horatio." She said softly with a nod as Zoë released her arm and let Natalia gently rub her wrist.

"Would you like a coffee or anything? It's the least I could do." Natalia said softly and Zoë gave her a smile and then nodded. She looked to Horatio as did Natalia and he silently nodded as he gave Zoë a small smile, then looked down to the sunglasses in his hands. He stepped back and allowed Natalia to pass, they then followed Natalia into the kitchen where she flicked the kettle on. Zoë frowned at Natalia.

"Natalia, how did you get that black-eye? That wasn't from the fall, was it?" Zoë asked as she leant on the side as Horatio stood just behind her and to her right. He looked from Zoë to Natalia, also noticing the faint black eye. He tilted his head at her, awaiting her answer.

"Oh no, I walked into one of the cupboard doors the other night." Natalia smiled softly at her and Zoë gave her a nod but didn't seem too convinced. Zoë tilted her head as her eyes fell to Natalia's left arm.

"Did you hit your arm too?" Zoë questioned when she saw bruising on her arm, Horatio's eyes soon followed where Zoë's had. Natalia let out a small chuckle and shook her head.

"Oh no, that was my nephew the other day, boys will always be boys." Natalia said softly with the same smile. Zoë bit her lip lightly and then studied the rest of Natalia. Natalia began to feel slightly uncomfortable and Zoë realised this so she stood up with a small smile.

"You have a nephew?" Zoë asked softly, changing the subject and Natalia nodded with a small smile.

"Nice apartment by the way." Zoë complemented with a smile as she glanced round with her hands on her hips.

"Thank you." Natalia said with a smile as she stirred the cups.

"Do you live alone?" Zoë asked softly noticing a few items that would belong to a male. Horatio placed his hand on her lower back, he knew she was being too inquisitive.

"Yeah, but my ex-husband still has some things here." Natalia said softly and Zoë lowered her eyebrows as another small frown developed.

"He hasn't had time to come and pick them up." She said softly and Zoë gave her a small nod. Zoë then smiled naturally when Natalia handed her and Horatio a cup and then sat down at the table with them.

"How's everything at work?" Natalia asked softly as she held the mug in between her hands.

"It's good, same old really." Zoë said with a natural smile, just happy to see Natalia again.

"How's Eric and Ryan?" She questioned and then saw the hesitance in Zoë's eyes almost immediately, but Zoë managed to quickly resolve herself visually as she gave Natalia the same set natural smile.

Horatio felt Zoë place her hand on his thigh while she continued to smile at Natalia. "Eric's good, we've not heard anything from Ryan. He's no longer working with us." She felt her heart rate accelerate slightly.

"How come?" Natalia asked softly as she sipped her coffee and Horatio looked to Zoë, he didn't want to say anything, so waited for her answer. He could see her thinking of something. Zoë took a deep breath to stall and then exhaled a smile.

"He wanted a career change I guess." Zoë said softly with a shrug as she sat back and sipped her coffee, Horatio could tell that she was now becoming uncomfortable while Natalia was none the wiser.

Natalia looked a little shocked, but not alarmed. "No kidding? What's he doing now?"

"We're not sure, we've not spoken to him since. We have a spot open if you'd like to join us again though?" Zoë asked softly as Horatio sipped the coffee and watched Zoë talk, they then looked to Natalia with a gentle expression, also telling her that she could have the job if she wanted it.

A quick frown appeared on Natalia's face, but it was quickly covered with a small shy smile. "Oh no, thank you though." Natalia replied softly and Zoë nodded. '_She's not spoken to him? I swear they were best friends?'_ Natalia thought. "Why haven't you spoken to him since he left? You guys were close." Horatio felt her hand tighten on his thigh, he quickly and subtly placed his hand over hers.

Zoë took another deep breath. "I guess we drifted apart." Zoë said softly with a shrug and then sipped her coffee again, feeling Horatio give her hand a quick squeeze.

Natalia frowned once again as she tilted her head. "That's got nothing to do with what happened between him and me, is it?" Zoë could feel the pressure, she just wanted to get out of the house.

"No, not really, he's just gone his separate way." Zoë shrugged as her grip tightened on Horatio's thigh again, he knew she was getting a little stressed. Zoë finished her coffee just after Horatio.

Zoë gave Natalia a sweet smile. "Sorry Natalia, I'd love to stay but I've got an appointment."

"Okay, well thank you so much for coming over anyway." Natalia said as she stood with Zoë and Horatio. Natalia looked down at their hands entwined together and then smiled up at them, she still found it a little weird that they were together, but could see that they were both very happy.

"Not a problem, if you need anything just give me a ring." Zoë said softly and Natalia nodded.

"Thank you, and I never got to really apologise for accusing you and getting it wrong the day of the apartment fire you got stuck in. I am really sorry Zoë." Natalia apologised for thinking Zoë was cheating on her fiancé with Horatio. Zoë chuckled a little as she completely relaxed.

"Don't worry, I found it amusing." Zoë said with a smile and Natalia nodded as she glanced down shyly. Natalia than walked out with them and opened the door for them and rubbed her wrist a little more.

"See you soon, hope it all goes well in whatever it is you're doing now."

"Thank you Zoë." Natalia replied with a nod.

"I'd be happy to hire you again, Miss Boa Vista. I hope everything goes well." Horatio said softly and Natalia smiled at him.

"Thank you Horatio, I'll keep that in mind." She replied with a genuine smile. He gave her a quick nod and then walked down the path with Zoë after saying bye.

Horatio and Zoë left and drove back home.

"You were very quiet." Zoë said softly as she looked round to Horatio. She flicked her fringe back and smiled warmly at him.

"You did all of the talking." Horatio smiled at her and Zoë gave him a smile and nodded with a small chuckle.

He glanced round to her a few more times and then placed his hand over her thigh. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just getting a little stressed so I had to get out of the situation. I feel really bad for just leaving like that but I don't want her to know what happened."

"I understand sweetheart, that's fine. How are you feeling now?"

She placed her hands over Horatio's lightly. "A bit better."

Horatio glanced around to her and thought. He gave her thigh a quick squeeze and glanced to her as she looked round to him. "May I ask you something?" He questioned and she nodded at him with a cautious smile.

"What did Natalia mean by it wasn't because of what happened between her and Mr Wolfe?" Horatio questioned.

Zoë exhaled and then placed her elbow on the door beside the window and rubbed her forehead. "It's a long story handsome."

"We have all day."

She exhaled and pulled the hairband from her hair and looked over to him. "You know that her and Wolfe started dating, right?" Zoë asked softly and Horatio nodded. '_I swear I mentioned it on the island? Perhaps he's forgot? There was a lot of information and emotions flying around that day.'_ Zoë thought to herself as she began to play with a strand of hair.

"Well, they had a problem… well not a problem as such I guess, but he upset her the first time they got into bed with each other."

"Why would that have anything to do with you?"

'_Will he flip if I tell him? He must've forgotten'_ Zoë thought to herself, she pressed her lips into a hard line and then glanced down to his hand beneath hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Because he shouted my name when he… you know. Obviously, that upset Natalia. He didn't want me to tell anyone so I didn't and I didn't tell you as I thought you'd rip his voice box out so he couldn't do such a thing again…" She said quietly as she looked at him. Horatio's eyes widened as he looked over to her, he looked horrified. "It's why they split… I gave Wolfe a hard time… a very hard time actually. I was pretty disgusted." She said quietly as she glanced down to the gear stick to avoid his piercing eyes.

"You should have told me Zoë." He removed his hand and ran a hand through his hair before pulling his sunglasses on.

"What difference would it have made?" Zoë whispered as she looked down, feeling like she'd done something really wrong. She began to play with her fingers as she felt the cool air con hit her cheeks. She glanced up and realised Horatio had directed one of the vents towards her as he'd noticed that she had flushed bright red. She could feel that she had a hot flush, more than likely due to stress.

"I need to know things like this Zoë, that's inappropriate." Horatio said softly.

She looked back up at him, and felt herself cooling down. "Yes, but it wouldn't have changed anything if I had told you. I gave him an earful for it, believe me. But if he cared about me and all of that and was thinking about me while he and Natalia had sex then it would have been impossible not to have said my name. When we have sex, I literally cannot stop myself from screaming your name, you know that. It's the same thing for him I guess."

"Please stop trying to defend him, Zoë." Horatio exhaled as he concentrated on the road, he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. She saw that he wasn't happy.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as she looked down, she didn't even realise that she had defended him. She then felt his hand back on her thigh.

Horatio sighed softly and then moved his hand over to hers and took hold of her left hand. "It was very disrespectful to Natalia, he shouldn't have got into the relationship with her if he knew he wanted you."

"I know, I made him apologise and talk with Natalia and that's when they sorted it out between them. He said he thought he was over me, but realised he wasn't. I thought he was over me. Can we please stop talking about this?" Zoë asked as she looked at him and gave his hand a light squeeze. He exhaled and then nodded, trying to physically relax himself. '_Has he been inappropriate at other points that she's neglected to tell me about?'_ Horatio asked himself as he tensed a little more.

"Is there anything else you should probably tell me?" His voice was soft, but his eyes were angry.

"I don't think so… I can't remember." She said quietly as she looked up at him and he nodded, she didn't pick up on his anger at all as his sunglasses shielded his eyes.

"Okay sweetheart." He said softly as he studied the small unsure smile on her face. He then lifted her hand and placed a delicate kiss on her knuckles. She smiled more naturally at him and then felt him skim his lips over her knuckles. He was hit by a wave of her perfume as he'd brought her hand and wrist closer to him. He relaxed immediately and then placed her hand back down on his thigh. She saw the secret smile he was hiding from her and smiled at him as she just watched him drive.

They arrived home and got out of the car.

"We should do something different today." She suggested.

"Like what? Your choice." Horatio asked softly as he let them in and placed his keys on the side in the bowl.

"I don't know, go to the zoo, museum, art gallery maybe even golf?" She said with a smile as they walked in to the kitchen, his eyes fell to her ass as he smiled more.

"Sounds good to me." He replied when she turned around for his answer.

She carried on into the kitchen. "Or how about some water sports? We could go jet skiing or parasailing?!" She asked excitedly.

"No, not parasailing, Nathan and Martin said you can't do things like that."

"So, they won't know – I've never been parasailing before, I'd love to try it."

"No, I'm happy to do anything else though."

"How about a game of golf? Then we can go and hire some jet skis?" She paused. "Then we can go out for a lovely meal tonight?" She awaited his approval before she did anything else. She saw the smile across his face.

"Sounds like a plan." Horatio replied as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist inside his jacket. "Do you play golf?" She questioned softly as she looked up into his eyes with a wide smile.

"Not really."

She pulled back with a smile and then placed a quick kiss on his lips. She then took his hand and led him upstairs. "I didn't think so… I've not played in years, I used to go with David every now and then." She glanced back to him on the stairs with a wicked smile. '_She knows she's going to beat me.'_ Horatio thought to himself and his hand slip through hers. "He taught me a few little tricks." She beamed, probably a little too cocky for her own good. They walked into the light bedroom and stopped in the middle of the room.

He tilted his head and looked at her through his lashes. "You can't just beat me instantly, I think we should blindfold you to make it a fair game." Horatio said with a boyish smile. He watched a mischievous expression form and the glint in her eye. He looked down, waiting for her reply; knowing it was either going to be sexual, or sarcastic.

She pouted at him for a few moments, watching the wide smile form on his face as he looked at the corner of the bed. "Hmm, you could do so many other things with a blindfold, why use it during a game of golf?" She questioned. He exhaled a chuckle as he glanced up at her and took a step forwards as she beamed up at him as she bit her lower lip.

"I could always save it for later." Horatio replied lowly as he looked up at her from the bed with his boyish smile. She took hold of the chest of draws as she bit her lip harder.

She quickly sat herself down on the bed as she walked over to it and crossed her legs. "Ooh, kinky. I think you've just made me orgasm without even touching me." She grinned mischievously, feeling herself grow hot again, hot for him. He chuckled as he watched her hands form fists as she placed them on her thighs.

"How do you do this to me?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"You tell me, all I do is talk… But this mouth is good for other things too." He smiled as he walked over to her and looked down to her as he lifted her chin with his fingers.

"Horatio stop it." She laughed as she stood up and quickly walked away from him. She picked up a bikini from her draw and threw it on the bed with a pair of shorts and a light top following it.

"Are you changing?" Horatio asked softly.

She pulled her shirt off and threw it into the washing bin and then undid her trousers. "I don't want to be playing golf in a suit in weather like this, and I need a bikini on for the jet ski." She smiled and Horatio nodded, quickly falling into a trance. He studied her pink underwear and sat down on the edge of the bed. He watched her unhook her bra and pull it off, quickly sending blood to a specific part of his body. He swallowed as she dropped her bra into the washing bin and then picked up her bikini top and put it on. She glanced to Horatio and saw him just staring, in his own world. She took a deep breath and exhaled. '_Why does he still watch me when I change? Surely he would have got used to me?'_ She asked herself, a little confused. He watched her pull the pink material from her hips and followed them down to her ankles. His jaw slacked as he began to breathe through his mouth rather than his nose. She pulled on the bikini bottoms and then turned to the draws. He continued to stare at her ass in the bikini bottoms. She quickly turned and playfully threw a pair of shorts at him. He raised his hand to his chest and caught them after they'd hit his chest.

"You should put some shorts on underneath your trousers." She said as she pulled her shorts up and smiled at him just as he seemed to come back to reality with a dreamy smile.

They walked back to their car after the game of golf, hand in hand. Both had radiant grins plastered across their faces.

"I can't believe you beat me!"

"I can't quite believe it either." Horatio replied in disbelief himself, feeling their hands swinging freely together.

"Re-match."

"Another weekend perhaps?"

"Definitely… Golf with you is fun."

"I have to say, I don't like golf too much, however, I would definitely play again with you." Horatio smiled over to her and she smiled at him and paused and stopped 20 meters from their car. She smiled up at him dreamily as she bit her lip.

"What?" Horatio asked, slightly confused but enjoying her dreamy look.

She bit her lip and took a hold of his other hand. "You." She said as she released her lip.

"What about me?"

She tilted her head, and looked up at him through her lashes and studied his eyes. Her eyes dropped to his sunglasses as they sat on his collar and she bit her lip again. She glanced down at their hands before looking back up and studying his smile. "You look so, so happy. I love it when you look this happy and carefree. I love it when you're relaxed and not so stern and tense like at work, don't get me wrong, I love that in doses, but it's wonderful to see you this relaxed."

He glanced down, with a hint of rosy red hitting his cheeks. He held a tight smile, trying his hardest not to let the wide smile take over his face, he finally gave in and let the smile develop. "I'm always this happy when I'm around you."

"Aww, you cutie." She bit her lip again and let go of his right hand and began to walk back to the car with him, continuing to slightly swing their hands, both with set smiles on their faces. Horatio opened her door for her and then allowed her to get in before closing it after her. He looked down at the hard concrete as he walked around the car and then slipped his sunglasses on.

"Have you been jet skiing before?" Zoë asked as he got into the car.

"Nope, first time for me."

"Hold on, you live in Miami but haven't gone jet skiing? Did you ever come out of your hole before me? You'll love it, I think we should probably share a jet ski as you haven't been before… and that way, you can wrap your legs around me."

He chuckled as he shook his head gently and then plugged his seat belt in. "Firstly, I like the sound of that. Secondly, of course I came out of my 'hole'. I've just never had the opportunity to go jet skiing."

They arrived home, both happy and lively.

"Where shall we go for dinner? If we go somewhere really nice, I'll wear one of my dresses." Zoë said with a smile.

"In that case, I've got somewhere in mind."

"Is a dress required then?" He nodded at her as he smiled down at the coffee on the counter.

"Excellent, I'm going to watch some TV first." She said softly and Horatio nodded at her and then followed her through to the living room and sat down next to her after he'd made a phone call. She turned her head to look at him and then grinned and took hold of his hand as they rested on his thighs.

He turned his head and looked at her curiously, as he began to run his thumb over the back of her hand. "We are going to have such hot sex later." Horatio raised his eyebrows as his jaw slacked slightly, she bit her lip with a grin before she relaxed her head down and onto his shoulder as he moved his hand over to her thighs with her hand still in his. He kissed the top of her head as she slowly drifted off to sleep. A little while later he rubbed her waist in an effort to gently wake her.

"It's 5.30 sweetheart, we have the reservation for 7.10pm."

She lifted her head and squinted at him tiredly. "Thank you for waking me." He rubbed her thigh with a smile and nod.

"I'm going for a bath" she said softly as she got up. She went to run herself a bath and sorted herself out while Horatio checked his emails and put some washing on. Horatio walked into the bedroom a while after to see her walking in with red and black lace underwear on. He immediately grew in his trousers as he picked up a towel and held it in front of him so she didn't see his tight trousers.

She glanced back to him as she picked up the hairdryer. "Are you having a shower?" He swallowed and then nodded at her, speechless. His eyes dropped to her ass and saw the red and black lace clinging to her hips. She tilted her head as she turned to him. He studied the bra when he had a chance and smiled. '_She looks that amazing, and she's mine. Someone up there must be rewarding me for something.'_ He thought to himself.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Do you like this underwear set?" He looked down at her body again and he could feel himself pushing against his trousers. She looked down at herself and then looked back up at him. He nodded at her, silently.

She turned around so he could look at her ass, but quickly turned back as he let out a quiet grown and tightened his grip on the towel as he swallowed and took a deep breath. "Are you sure? I'm not so certain about it." She said innocently.

"You're playing with me, Zoë." Horatio said quietly as he looked back up into her eyes blissfully. He then swallowed as he tried to look away, but he couldn't tear is eyes from her body or her eyes.

She placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head. "I'm really not actually, I honestly just wanted your opinion. It looks really cute and hot on the hanger, I'm not so sure about it actually on me though." She admitted, wanting his honest opinion.

"It's very nice, Zoë." Horatio assured her softly and she gave him a nod. She began to smile more again as she was happy he liked it, that was all that mattered in her eyes.

She turned back to the mirror. "I'll see you in a moment." She said softly and then Horatio quickly walked over to her, he placed his hand on her waist and turned her, feeling her warm skin beneath his palm and fingers.

"I'll see you in a moment." He said before he dropped the towel and placed his other hand around the back of her head and placed a kiss on her lips, she happily kissed him back and then felt his hand moving from her waist to her spine and then down. He felt the lace run through his fingers as he smiled.

"It feels very nice as well, when did you get it?" Horatio whispered softly as he studied her bright brown eyes and happy smile.

"The other day, I've only just tried it on though." She replied as she glanced to his lips and concentrated on them for a moment before looking back into his content eyes.

"I'm not going to be too fussed about the dress now, I'm just going to be focussing on what is under the dress." He grinned as he looked into her eyes with his lips inches from hers, he let the lace go and then placed his hand against her ass cheek and pulled her in close. She grinned up at him as she placed her hands on his shoulders while he held her hips to his. She bit her lip when she felt his package.

"Excellent, I'm glad you like it." She smiled and then placed another kiss on his lips.

"Go and shower or you'll be late." She said softly and he nodded as he backed off from her. He glanced back when he saw her walking over to the hairdryer. He quickly had a shower and then walked out in his boxers while Zoë was still drying her hair. Once dry, she curled it and then walked into the walk in wardrobe and pulled on a dress. She walked out and looked up at Horatio, shyly.

"What do you think?" She questioned quietly. He looked up at her while he sat on the bed and pulled his socks on. He dropped the socks as his mouth involuntarily fell open. He lowered his eyebrows as he exhaled slowly. His eyes slowly travelled down from her eyes and studied the top half of the dress. He saw the purple material covering her shoulders with a low v-cut collar, exposing most of her chest, but completely covering the bra. His eyes travelled down and studied the material as it hugged her petite frame tightly and then stopped when the material stopped at just above her knees.

"You look absolutely amazing." Horatio said earnestly as he stood up and stepped closer to her. She rubbed her left upper arm with her right as she looked down after smiling shyly. He lifted her chin slowly, gently and watched her eyes skip from his right eye to his left, repeatedly. He watched her swallow and then released her chin as he turned her physically with his hands on her waist.

"You do look astoundingly beautiful Zoë, look at yourself in the mirror." Horatio said as he glanced into the mirror and she looked up at the mirror at herself, she bit her lip and quickly looked away. She turned back around as Horatio let his hands loosely move over her waist as she moved, she looked up at Horatio, looking unsure.

"Zoë, you do look amazing." Horatio said as he raised his right hand to her face and ran the pad of this thumb from the corner of her lips to her jaw line. He looked from her eyes to her mouth as a natural smile appeared.

"Thank you Horatio, you don't look too bad yourself either." She grinned at him as she placed her hand on his chest. He smiled at her as he looked back into her eyes and then placed an affectionate kiss on her lips after moving his hands around to her back.

"You should definitely wear dresses more, not that I don't love you in your suits and things, but you do look absolutely beautiful in this dress, it makes a nice change." Horatio said softly as he ran his hand down her side and rested it at her hip.

"Thank you."

He tilted his head and lowered his eyebrows ever so slightly. "You are comfortable in it, aren't you? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No, I'm good." She smiled up at him before she moved away from him and then put a small amount of make-up on in the mirror while Horatio watched her with a smile across his face.

"I might need some help getting this dress off later." She grinned back at Horatio and he let out a chuckle as he exhaled and then looked down.

"I'd be more than happy to help get you out of that dress." Horatio smiled and then walked over to her as she stood up straight and put a clip in her hair to keep her fringe out of her eyes.

"Where are we going then?"

"You'll see." He said softly as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. He admired her once more in the full length mirror.

"Am I dressed appropriately? Or do I need to fancy myself up a little more or down a little more?"

"You are looking absolutely perfect for the occasion."

"Please tell me where we're going." She smiled up at him and watched his grin widen as his hands ran over her stomach.

"No, it's a surprise."

"A surprise? But there's no special occasion, it can't just be a surprise." She grinned as she swayed slightly as she bit her lip.

"It's always a special occasion with you." Horatio smiled at her and she giggled a little.

"You're too cheesy." She smiled at him and then wrapped her arms around his neck after turning in his arms.

"I don't intend on being so cheesy, it sounds romantic in my head." He grinned at her as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes, she giggled a little again. She placed her hands on either side of his neck and then moved them round to interlock her fingers at the back of his neck. She glanced down to his lips as she bit her own. She then pecked his lips with a smile, giving him butterfly kisses as he returned them, and turning them into a more passionate kiss.

"Come on, we'll be late otherwise." Horatio said softly.

"Can't we just stay here now? I want you in bed." She grinned up at him as she moved her hips against his as she bit her lips once again.

"You can have me later." Horatio grinned at her and she nodded and then backed off as she picked up a clutch bag and took Horatio's hand.

They got into the car and Zoë looked round to him, looking determined.

"Tell me where we're going please?" She asked.

"No" Horatio replied simply with his secret smile.

"Please."

"No"

"But… please." Zoë questioned again and then listened to him chuckle.

"Just sit back and enjoy the ride." Horatio replied as he pulled off the drive.

They arrived at the restaurant and Horatio helped her out of the car delicately.

"You always know the perfect place, don't you?" She grinned at him as they got out and he quickly kissed her.

"Come on, this is only part of the surprise." He smiled as he took her by the hand and she looked up at him.

"What have you got planned?" Zoë questioned suspiciously as they walked into the elegant restaurant.

"You'll see soon enough." Horatio smiled as they walked up to the stand where one of the waiters greeted them.

"Caine for 7.10pm" he said softly and the waiter nodded.

"Right this way sir, ma'am." He said as he picked up two menus and then weaved through the tables as Horatio and Zoë followed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Zoë looked around but couldn't see a free table for two and began to get a little confused. They came to a table in the corner and Zoë frowned as she watched a man rise from the seat in front of them. '_Who's that?' _Zoe asked herself as he had his back to them. He turned around and Zoë's mouth fell open as she brought her hands up to cover her gaping mouth.

"Hey" Joe said with a wide, warm smile. Horatio placed his hand on her back as he smiled. Her hands began to tremble as she looked at Joe, completely and utterly gobsmacked.

"Breathe sweetheart." Horatio reminded softly with a content smile and she exhaled as she dropped her hands from her mouth and reached out to him.

"Joe!" she said as she threw her arms around him, she hugged his warm body and took a deep breath as she smelt his familiar cologne. She looked over to the left and saw Horatio smiling down at the floor, happy to see her so happy.

"Horatio! I can't believe you!" He looked at her with a small smile and gave her a nod as she hugged Joe tightly.

"I did say I'd be down in a few weeks." Joe smiled as he pulled back from her.

"I can't believe the both of you!" She smiled as she quickly wisped a tear from the corner of her right eye with an exceptionally wide and radiant smile. Joe quickly turned and shook Horatio's hand. She quickly hugged Horatio as Joe sat back down. When they pulled from the hug, Horatio pulled a seat out for Zoë and she sat as he pushed it back in under her. He then sat next to her and placed his hand over hers on the table.

She still gawped at the both of them. "I can't believe either of you! This was the last thing I suspected."

"Would you like anything to drink?" A waiter asked as he appeared beside the table, he directed his question at both Horatio and Zoë.

"A glass of fresh orange juice please." Zoë asked softly and he nodded as he wrote it down and then looked up at Horatio.

"Coke please."

"I'll be right back."

"You look lovely Zoë." Joe complemented as he studied the dress and her perfect hair.

"Thank you, you do too."

"How long have you both been planning then?" She asked as she took a tight hold of Horatio's hand.

"I gave Joe a ring about a week ago to find out if he was planning on coming back any time soon. We arranged it then." Horatio said softly and Zoë gave him a brilliant smile.

"I didn't think this day could get any better, thank you." She said to Horatio as he smiled at her. She gave him a quick kiss and then looked round to Joe.

"How long are you down here for?" Zoë asked softly.

"Unfortunately, I fly back tomorrow, I've only been here for one day but I've been too busy to see you during the day, so we decided on dinner." Joe said softly and Zoë nodded and then looked down to the cream table cloth as she shook her head.

"You are unbelievable, the both of you. Thank you so much." She smiled up at the both of them and they gave her a smile. The waiter returned with some drinks and then took their orders.

"Have you found a house?" Zoë asked once she was over the initial shock and Joe sat back.

"I'm still looking unfortunately, I can't decide on what sort of house I want. I love my old-style house back in New York, but I also love the style of the modern homes. Your house is lovely. I'm also unsure on the amount of bedrooms I should get, I can't decide if my house is too big or just right up in New York." He said softly and Zoë nodded.

"I think you should get a 3 bedroom house, but use one of the bedrooms for a study, or a gym or something. I think 3 bedrooms for you is a little excessive, but obviously it is your choice and I think you should go with the modern style." She smiled at him and he nodded.

"That is a definite option." He said softly and she smiled and took hold of Horatio's hand again.

"We'll probably be moving at some point in the future too. I'm not sure how I feel about having children around when the beach is so close. I'd be terrified that they had somehow got out of my sight and onto the beach." Zoë admitted softly and Horatio nodded at her with a smile just as he ran is thumb over her fingers.

"I do hope to buy within the next month." Joe said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Has Adam found a place yet?" Zoë asked softly and Joe nodded.

"I think he's got his eye on a 2 bed place, he's in the middle of finding out all of the details I think." Joe said softly and Zoë nodded with a smile.

"That's good" Zoë said softly and Joe nodded. They sat back as their starters were brought out.

She looked down at the plate that had been placed in front of her and her eyes widened. "Good lord, this is a starter?" Zoë asked a she looked up at Horatio and he chuckled as he looked at her with a warm expression and then nodded.

"This is like a meal in its own right." She smiled as she looked back down at it. Joe chuckled a little as he looked up at her. They each took a bite of their starter.

"It's very nice though. How's yours?" Zoë asked Horatio and he nodded with a mouthful and then looked to Joe.

"Yes, mine is good too."

Zoë sat back after eating half of the starter while Horatio and Joe both finished their plates.

"I wish I could eat like you guys."

"You can as long as it's chocolate and crisps." Horatio smiled at her and she chuckled quietly as she looked up at him, she playfully swatted his thigh under the table as he flicked his eyebrows up.

"I'm pretty sure you'd eat us both under the table, even if we teamed up against you when it came to chocolate and crisps." Joe smiled and Zoë chuckled as she shook her head.

"I'm not quite _that_ bad." Zoë chuckled more and they both raised their eyebrows at her.

"Well, maybe then." She said with a sweet smile and Horatio chuckled as he took her hand in his again.

"I don't want to fill myself up on starters anyway." Zoë said softly and they nodded at her.

"You'll love it when I'm pregnant again, I will literally eat anything that's in front of me…" Zoë said as she looked up at Joe as she knew he liked it when she ate lots. "I didn't really get specific cravings, did I? I just craved food." Zoë smiled as she looked round to Horatio who nodded at her with a smile.

"Kaitlin is going crazy, she is itching to start planning the wedding." Joe said softly and Zoë chuckled.

"I know, we need to actually sit down and discuss a proper date though." Zoë said softly as she looked round to Horatio who gave her a nod.

"I would like it sooner rather than later, but I know I'll get too stressed if we plan it too close." Zoë said softly and Joe nodded.

"There's no rush, you have plenty of time." He said softly and Zoë nodded. They sat back as their main course was put in front of them and the waiter asked if he could get them anything else. They soon finished.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Zoë asked softly.

"I've already got a hotel room booked." Joe said softly and Zoë nodded.

" A Hilton hotel?" She asked and Joe nodded.

"Good choice." She smiled before they paid. They got up and left the restaurant, Zoë holding Horatio's hand.

"It's been so good to see you again Joe, have a safe journey home tomorrow." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a warm hug.

"It's been good to see you too, thank you for a wonderful evening." He said softly and they broke from the hug.

"Don't cry on me this time, please." Joe said softly with a smile and Zoë nodded with a smile, she then looked down and pushed the feeling of crying back before it could take hold of her.

"When are you next down?" Zoë asked as she took hold of Horatio's hand again and stood close to his side.

"Definitely within the next month, I may be down more than once. I'll let you know though." Joe said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Please do" Zoë said softly before she stepped forwards again.

"Missing you already" Zoë said softly before she kissed him on the cheek and he kissed hers back.

"Missing you already too, take care, both of you. Horatio, it's been good to meet you again." Joe said as he held his hand out. Horatio took his hand and shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you again too" Horatio said softly and Joe gave him a small smile and then let go of Horatio's hand.

"Safe drive home" Joe said softly and Zoë gave him a nod. They parted ways and Horatio quickly put his jacket around Zoë before they reached the car.

"Horatio, thank you so much for such a lovely evening. I still can't believe you had this all planned!" She said as they got into the car.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself beautiful, I had a wonderful evening too." Horatio said softly as he glanced over to her.

"I've more than enjoyed myself, it's been an absolutely wonderful evening, I can only think of one thing that will make it even better and I know that I'm going to get that thing." She said as they both sat in the car.

"What's that then?" Horatio asked with a grin as he plugged his seatbelt in.

"You, in bed" she smiled at him as she leant over and placed a slow, tender kiss on his lips as she ran her right hand up the back of his head. He placed his hand on the side of her face as she kissed him. Once they'd stopped kissing, Horatio pulled away as he placed his hand on her thigh before driving off. Just as they arrived Home, Horatio placed his hand back over Zoë's thigh. They pulled up on the drive and she placed her hand over Horatio's and then leant over to him again.

"Every time you touch me I want you more and more." Zoë said breathlessly, looking into his eyes with only the moonlight illuminating one side of his face. Her jaw slacked as she moved closer again and initiated a fiery kiss. He moved his hand from under hers and glided it down her thigh to her knee and found the bottom of her dress. He slowly moved his hand up her thigh and pulled her dress up as he went. He felt her kiss him deeper and knew that she loved what he was doing to her. He let his fingers dance around at the very top of her inner thighs and she couldn't take it any longer. She quickly got up and sat on him with her knees beside his hips. She placed both hands on either side of his head as he placed both hands on her thighs. Zoë broke from the kiss, breathless. He pecked at her lips before opening the door and letting her get out, silently, but never letting go of his hand. They quickly went in, both still holding each other.

The next day, Zoë was out driving to the shop when she looked over to the side of the road and saw Natalia standing at the side of the road with a man, arguing loudly with him. She indicated to pull over and then stopped a few meters from Natalia's car as she turned around to look at Zoë.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

Zoë got out after picking up her badge and gun when she could see the man intimidating Natalia. She strode confidently over to Natalia with a hand on her hip, giving the man a quick flash of her badge as well.

"Everything okay, Natalia?" Zoë questioned as she stood beside her.

Natalia looked back to the young man and scowled. "I'm fine, but this jackass just drove straight into me and is blaming me for the crash." Natalia said and Zoë looked over to the man.

"I'm Detective Chambers, what is your name?" She questioned as she placed both her hands on her hips and tilted her head, as she looked him up and down before her eyes set on his and he swallowed.

"Drew Pollock, ma'am" he said softly. Zoë immediately noticed that his intimidating stance was disappearing, but continued to hold her strong stance. She looked back to both cars.

"Wait right there, do not move." Zoë said as she walked around Natalia's car and then glanced over to his.

"What happened?" Zoë questioned him as she walked back and stood between the both of them.

"I was driving, then she just drove into me ma'am." Drew said quietly and Zoë raised a wicked eyebrow.

"Am I going to have to ask you to come down to MDPD, or are you going to tell me the truth?" Zoë questioned firmly as she placed both hands on her hips. He began to sweat as his eyes darted from place to place.

"That is the truth, she came out of no-where, she just drove right in front of me." Drew pleaded.

"You hit her, it's clear from where you've hit her car; you hit the back left hand side of her car when you pulled out. If you had have been looking where you were going, you would have put your breaks on." Zoë said firmly and the man looked at her, but remained silent.

"It is not a good idea to lie to a police officer, Mr Pollock." Zoë said and he shrugged as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Hands out of your pockets. Have you had anything to drink in the last couple of hours?" Zoë questioned and he nodded, her eyes immediately hardened on him.

"I suspected. Do either of you have any neck pain or require any medical help?" Zoë questioned and they both shook their heads at her. She took a deep breath and then pressed her lips together.

"Natalia, if you would like to wait in my car, I'll sort this out." Zoë said softly and Natalia nodded.

"Thank you Zoë." Natalia said softly.

She looked back up at Drew, he looked at her with wide eyes as he studied the hostile look on her face. "You wait here, I need to get a patrol car out to breathalyse you, if you're under the limit, I will take your details and you will have to pay for her car to be repaired. You can appeal if you want, but my advice would be to just agree – there's a camera up there and I assume that you came off on that junction, there will be footage of you hitting her car so the appeal won't work in your favour and you'll end up paying more compensation because you lied. But that's my opinion, I can't tell you what to do." Zoë said as she pulled her phone out. He nodded at her and then looked down at the floor. Zoë rang for back up and they soon showed up. She explained the situation to them and they breathalysed him. Zoë walked over to him as he waited by his car.

"Mr Pollock, I'm going to have to arrest you as you're twice over the limit." Zoë said as she turned him and placed the cuffs on his wrists while she read his rights out to him. One of the patrol officers took the driver away and Zoë walked over to her car and opened her door and got in.

She exhaled softly as she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She took another deep breath and then lifted her head and looked over to Natalia. She looked to Zoë and could see something troubling her.

"You'll probably want to get your car towed away, it's not driveable." Zoë said softly and Natalia nodded.

"I've already called."

"Is everything okay?" Zoë questioned.

"Yeah, just a little shaken I guess. Are you okay?" Natalia said softly.

"I'm good. How's your wrist after yesterday?" Zoë asked softly. '_Just keep cool, he didn't seriously hurt anyone. He's just roughed up Natalia's car. He didn't kill anyone. Do people not have any sense? Drinking and driving is a bloody dangerous combination.'_ Zoë thought to herself and then watched Natalia's lips move, but didn't take in what she said.

"It's better thank you, it certainly doesn't hurt as much. Thank you."

Zoë's eyes fell to her forearm where a fresh bruise had developed. "Did you get that bruise on your forearm from yesterday too?"

"Yeah, I think so. I can't think of where else I got it from." Natalia said softly and Zoë nodded.

"If you ever need to talk, my door is always open." Zoë said softly and Natalia looked at her and frowned slightly.

"Thanks, but I'm okay." Natalia said firmly and Zoë nodded and stopped questioning when she saw Natalia closing herself off to her.

"Do you want to go with patrol to MDPD to give a statement, stay here with the car until it's picked up or would you like me to take you home?" Zoë said softly as she tried to muster a small forced smile. '_Another bloody drunk driver.'_ Zoë thought in her mind as her face screwed up slightly as she looked out the front window.

"I think I'll wait with the car, then go over to MDPD, thank you though Zoë." Natalia said softly and Zoë nodded as she glanced round to her.

"Not a problem, give me a call if you need anything, I'm happy to pick you up from MDPD to take you home if you want."

"Thank you Zoë, I'll keep that in mind." Natalia said softly as she got out and Zoë gave her a small smile. She watched Natalia walk over to her car and then drove off to the shop. She parked at the shop and then hit the steering wheel as she leant over and crossed her arms on it. She placed her forehead on her forearms and exhaled a violent breath. '_Let it go Zoë-Mae.'_ She thought to herself before taking another deep breath and then climbing out of the car. She got half way around the shop when her phone rang.

"Hey handsome" Zoë said as she answered her phone as her voice softened.

"Hello beautiful, is everything okay?"

Zoë felt herself physically relax more as she listened to his voice. "Yeah, sorry. I'm still at the shop, there was an incident on the way to the shop and I had to stop and arrest someone, don't worry though. I'll tell you about it when I'm back."

"Okay sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, the man was compliant, intoxicated and over the limit, but compliant."

Horatio heard the venom in her voice. "Are you sure you're okay sweetheart?" Horatio questioned.

She sighed and knew she'd been too bitter. "Yes, I'm sorry. I'm good, really." Zoë said as she relaxed herself again as she picked up 3 large chocolate bars.

"Okay, I shall see you soon then, drive safe."

"Yes, see you soon, I love you."

"I love you too." Horatio replied and they then hung up. She finished the shopping and then headed back home. '_Just stop thinking about it Zoë, he's been arrested, it's unlikely he'll ever drink and drive again. I think I scared the shit out of him.'_ She thought to herself.

Sunday evening arrived and Zoë and Horatio were relaxing on the sofa after their dinner and dessert. Horatio was playing with her hair as she laid back on him, sat between his legs in the dim light, both watching the TV. Horatio was concentrating more on Zoë than the TV as usual. She exhaled heavily, Horatio watched her chest fall slowly as her breath escaped her lungs.

"I'm going for a bath, do you want to join?" Zoë asked softly as she turned her head and looked at him softly. Horatio nodded as he got up with her with a content smile.

"I love baths with you" she grinned at him.

"I have to agree." Horatio smiled back at her.

"You know, I've never shared a bath with anyone but you. You should feel privileged." She grinned as they climbed the stairs.

"I do every single time." Horatio smiled as she glanced back at him. She chuckled and then walked into the bathroom as Horatio went to pick up two towels for them. He walked into the bathroom just as Zoë was plucking her eyebrows. A smile appeared across her face when he walked in.

"Shall I do yours while I'm at it?" She asked softly and Horatio chuckled, then shook his head.

"I'd rather you didn't, but thank you for the offer." Horatio smiled sweetly at her and she nodded with a smile. Horatio turned the tap off once the bath was full enough and then took his shirt and trousers off as Zoë undressed too, she walked over to him after throwing her underwear in the washing bin. Horatio took her delicate hand and helped her into the bath and then got in after her and sat behind her again. He leant forwards and wrapped his arms around her to pull her back against him. He rested his head against the side of hers as he placed his palms over the back of her hands and curled his fingers down and between her small fingers. Their fingers interlocked with each other as Horatio crossed his arms across Zoë's stomach. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against her ear. She relaxed back slightly and then took a deep breath.

A few moments later she sat back up. "Something isn't right with Natalia." Zoë said, breaking the silence as she glanced back at him.

"What do you mean?" Horatio asked softly as he opened his eyes and tilted his head as he began to massage her back.

"I'm not too sure, but she seems to be hiding something from me."

"Perhaps she doesn't want you to find something out, she has her secrets just as much as you have yours."

"I guess so, but I feel like something is wrong."

"I wouldn't pry too much, Zoë, and I wouldn't worry about it. It's her business. If something was wrong, Natalia would sort it out, she's a smart woman." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded.

"I guess so." Zoë said as she sat back and relaxed back on him as she took his hands in hers. She rested her head on his shoulder and then turned her head to place a light kiss on his jaw.

"So when would you like the wedding?" Zoë asked softly.

A smile appeared across Horatio's face, just hearing that sentence from her lips made him experience butterflies in his stomach. "Whenever you want it, I don't mind sweetheart, I just don't want it to stress you out." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she glanced back to him.

"I don't know, Horatio." She said as she raised his hand and put his wet skin to her lips.

"Well, do you want to wait a year?" Horatio asked softly. She pulled his hand from her mouth so she could speak.

"A year is a bit too long, don't you think?" Zoë asked softly and Horatio nodded.

She turned her head and looked up at him through her lashes as he looked down at her and into her radiant brown eyes. "I really want to marry you soon, I can't wait to be Mrs Caine. I want to be able to say that I'm your wife, I want to be able to call you my husband and to finally see a ring upon your finger." She said as she glanced back up at him and he smiled and then kissed her forehead lightly.

"10 months?" Horatio asked as he hugged her, talking with his lips against her temple.

"No, that's still too far away, how about 3 months?" Zoë asked softly.

"Don't you think that is a little too soon? I really don't want you to get stressed, sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he moved his head away to get a look into her eyes as she looked round to him again.

She nodded confidently. "I'll get stressed no matter how long we wait, even more if we wait too long, I just want to marry you, I don't care about the details, I just want to be your wife." Zoë said as she turned around to face him. He smiled at her warmly as he ran his thumb from her cheek to the corner of her lip.

She gently took hold of his wrist and guided his hand to rub her cheek delicately as she closed her eyes for a few seconds. She opened them with a sweet expression. "Being your wife is the main thing, it's the thing I'm looking forward to. I don't care where we get married or when." Zoë said as she took his hand in hers once she pulled it from her cheek. She placed a light kiss on the palm of his hand and then curled his fingers over to make a fist for him. "I think we've waited too long to get married anyway." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded as he gave her a smile and then pulled her closer to him again as she crossed her legs.

"So, can we get married in about 3 months, around August time?" Zoë asked softly as she looked down at the bubbles between them and began to weave her fingers through the water.

"Of course sweetheart, 3 months it is." Horatio smiled and then lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles, she looked up at him with a wide smile. '_He's actually agreeing to marry in 3 months? Oh my gosh! This is one of the best nights ever! He's going to be my husband in 3 months' time!'_ She thought to herself as she let out an involuntary squeal.

"What date?" Zoë asked softly once she'd calmed herself down as she picked the soap up.

"Do you have one in mind?" Horatio asked softly as he picked up the sponge.

"How about August the 11th; I met you on the 11th of April, just after my birthday on the 2nd and after yours on the 7th." Zoë said with a smile. "Gosh, that was over a year ago now…" Zoë said as she looked up at him.

"The 11th sounds good. I can't believe I've had you in my life for over a year now." Horatio said softly as he helped to massage the soap into her soft skin.

"I can't believe it either!" Zoë grinned as she looked up at him.

She tilted her head when she realised something. "It's probably been one of the best years in my life despite all of the shit that has happened. That's all because of you, Horatio. For that, I can't thank you enough."

"I have to agree sweetheart and that's all because of you, Zo." Horatio smiled at her. She moved closer and hugged him, she pulled back after giving him a slow kiss. She turned around and took the soap from him and began to wash while he washed her back. Horatio pulled her back and kissed the scars at the top of her back. She stopped her washing, but didn't tense so much. She just looked down at the bubbles and took a deep breath.

"It's getting easier, isn't it?" Horatio asked softly.

"Yeah" Zoë said softly as she glanced back and then passed the soap back to him with a small shy smile. Once they had both washed, Zoë laid back against Horatio again as he wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on his gentle breath moving past her neck as his fingertips coasted over her stomach.

"I love it when you run your fingers over my skin."

"Your skin is perfect, I can't help but do it." Horatio said softly and she smiled keeping her eyes closed. She tensed and hissed in pain as he moved one of his arms. She quickly sat up and he immediately released her, somewhat startled.

"What's wrong? What did I do?" Horatio asked softly as he sat up and placed his left hand on her back as he placed his right on her shoulder.

"It wasn't you I don't think… it just hurt when you moved your arm onto my breast." She said as she looked back at Horatio and he lowered his eyebrows. She mimicked his facial expression as she placed her hand over her breast.

"What sort of pain?" Horatio questioned with a worried intensity and then turned her in the bath.

"I'm not sure, sharp?" She said as she held her breast, confused.

"Do you check your breasts for lumps?" Horatio questioned as both his heartbeat and hers accelerated. She looked panicked and very worried.

"Yeah, I do it regularly." Zoë said as she began to check as Horatio watched intensely, his eyes moving from her hand to her face to study her facial expression.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"I can't feel anything out of the ordinary." She said as she looked up at Horatio. He looked genuinely concerned as his heart began to race faster, despite her saying that she couldn't feel anything. He swallowed and looked into her eyes.

"Can you check please? I might be missing something." Zoë asked frantically, as she began to panic.

Horatio tried to calm himself when he saw that she was panicking more, more than likely due to his worry. "Of course sweetheart, just try not to panic, it is probably nothing if you can't feel anything. Take a deep breath." Horatio said softly as he pulled Zoë closer to him and then placed his hand over her right breast and tenderly began to check her. She hissed when he lightly pressed on the sensitive area and looked up at him.

"I can't feel anything either sweetheart." Horatio said softly, relaxing a little more. He removed his hand and then looked down at the breast.

He frowned and tilted his head as his eyes intensified on her breast. "Hold still sweetheart" Horatio said softly as he moved to lean down a little.

"It's a bruise sweetheart, it's on the bottom and to the side a little. Have you knocked yourself lately?" Horatio asked softly as he ran his fingers down her spine, having completely relaxed. She took a deep breath and exhaled relieved, she closed her eyes as she paused to think about her breathing.

"I don't think so. How did I bruise my boob? That's a weird place to bruise." She said as she looked up at Horatio.

"I guess you can bruise yourself anywhere, you just don't knock your breasts very often and when you do, you usually know about it."

She nodded at him and then froze. She looked into his eyes with a panicked expression and her mouth opened a little. "I haven't been left unattended lately, have I?"

"No, I've been with you everywhere apart from when you went to the shop earlier, but a bruise like that doesn't develop within that timeframe." Horatio said softly, trying to reassure her.

"What if I blacked out and someone did something to me though?" Zoë questioned as he placed her hand on his knee.

"I haven't left you alone for a second, Zoë. No-one has touched you." Horatio assured her confidently and she nodded, knowing he was right. She took a deep breath and physically relaxed herself.

"Perhaps I got it when I was training? Actually, I remember hitting myself in the boob a few days ago." She exhaled, remembering. She looked down at the water and then closed her eyes as a lopsided smile appeared across her face. She looked up at Horatio, slightly embarrassed.

"That's probably the most likely cause then." Horatio said softly, also relieved.

"Why didn't I think?" She chuckled as she looked up at him. "I'm a dipstick." She added.

"How did you hit yourself in the breast?" Horatio questioned with a small chuckle himself.

"Erm… I may have been fighting the punch bag naked when you were downstairs the other evening…" Zoë grinned shyly. Horatio began to laugh.

"Are you being serious? I can't tell if you're messing with me." Horatio said softly with a wide smile as he ran his hand up her spine once more.

"I'm being serious, I like fighting naked sometimes. It gives me more of a release and relaxes me a little more." Zoë said softly and Horatio's eyebrows rose, a little shocked.

"Don't look at me like that." She smiled as she playfully swatted his arm and he chuckled.

"You do make me laugh. You should have invited me up, I would have happily watched." Horatio grinned at her as he flicked his eyebrows up again and then pulled her between his legs as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Hmm, I bet you would have! I don't think I would have got much fighting done, do you?" She grinned at him as she wisped a strand of his fringe from his forehead, then studied the small grooves either side of his eyes, as he smiled naturally at her, but had a hint of his boyish expression.

"You would have still received exercise though." Horatio whispered as he glanced down to the bubbles and then back up at her and saw her brilliant expression and defined eyebrows as they rose.

"Oh really now?"

"Oh yes." He grinned as he looked into her sparkling eyes as she began to giggle.

"You are getting increasingly naughty." She grinned at him. "I like it." She added as her grin grew as she moved in closer to him. She stopped inches from his face as she bit her lip as her eyes darted from his eyes to his lips.

"You are incredible." She whispered softly before she closed her eyes and then brought her lips closer to his and gently parted them.

"You are amazing." Horatio whispered back once they broke the kiss. He looked down at her smile and felt the room brighten as she sat back.

"I think we should get out, I need to ring Kaitlin." Zoë said softly as she crossed her legs.

"Certainly sweetheart" Horatio said as he moved and gave her one last kiss before standing and then helping Zoë up. They got out and he felt her wet hands slip through his as she picked up her towel and handed his to him. They both walked down the hall in their towels, smiling at each other, having a silent conversation through the look in their eyes before they both changed for bed in their bedroom.

"Tea?" Horatio asked softly and Zoë nodded at him with a smile as she picked her phone up.

"Thank you handsome." She said as she quickly kissed him and then dialled for Kaitlin just as he walked out. Horatio walked back up and saw Zoë leaning against the head of the bed with a wide smile on her face.

"Kaitlin, you can't do all of that!" Zoë grinned as Horatio walked over to her with her steaming tea in his right hand and the steaming coffee in his left. She took a deep breath through her nose and felt the smell of his coffee catch her nose.

"Thank you Horatio." She said as she took the mug from him and he gave her a nod with a sweet smile. He walked around the bed and placed his mug on his side.

"You're crazy, you know that, don't you?" Zoë chuckled a little as Horatio climbed onto the bed and looked over to her as she looked down at her nails on her left hand.

"I know, are you sure you can do what you want to do in 3 months?" Zoë asked as Horatio flicked the TV on low and sat back as he reached over and placed his hand lightly on her thigh.

Zoë looked over to Horatio and gave him a brilliant smile as she placed her left hand over his on her thigh. "Yeah, I'm sure James will love it if he comes wedding dress shopping!" Zoë chuckled as she began to run her fingers up his forearm and back to his knuckles.

"No, don't worry about the invites, we'll do them." Zoë said softly as Horatio glanced over to her. '_When she said she could talk with Kaitlin for hours, I didn't believe her. Now I do.'_ Horatio thought to himself as he looked back to the TV.

Zoë let go of his hand and arm to run her hand through her hair gently. "Yeah" Zoë said just as she picked up her tea and Horatio looked over to her, listening to the one sided conversation.

"No, I don't plan on being pregnant for the wedding, but anything can happen. Even if I was, I wouldn't be very big, so the dress won't have to be altered." Zoë smiled as she looked up at the TV.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I wouldn't be too big at 3 months if by some chance I got pregnant now." Zoë chuckled as she put her tea down and placed her warm hand back over Horatio's.

"No, I'll call Joe tomorrow, don't worry about that. I'd rather tell him that we've got a date now." Zoë said with a smile as she looked over to Horatio. She took hold of his hand and gave him a cheeky grin as she raised his hand and ran the backs of his knuckles over her cheek.

"Yeah, it's going to be a small wedding, so don't go overboard, please. I know what you're like. We will give you the guest list soon. I shouldn't think that there will be any more than 20 people maximum." Zoë said softly as she placed Horatio's hand back down on her thigh.

"I don't know, you're good at all of the decorating lark. I would like the bridesmaids in either light blue or lilac though, or perhaps a deep red colour." Zoë said softly as she looked back to the TV and bit her lip gently.

"Yeah, my dress will be white." Zoë said with a smile as she looked up at Horatio. He smiled once again when he could see just how ecstatic she was just talking about it.

"Calm down Kate, we've got 3 months yet." Zoë chuckled.

"It's getting a little late now and both you and I have work early tomorrow morning, how about we carry this conversation on at a different time?" Zoë said softly, having stifled a yawn.

"Yes, you can ask me one last thing." Zoë smiled as she looked down at her tea.

"If you really want to go to Paris or Italy for the dresses then yes, we'll arrange something very soon, but we're not going via private jet." Zoë said softly as she picked her tea up again.

"Yeah, I'll come up or you come down… anyway, we'll arrange something very soon." Zoë said with a small chuckle before sipping her tea and placing it back down again.

"Love you too, sweet dreams gorgeous." Zoë said with a smile. She then hung up and looked over to Horatio after putting her phone on the side beside her tea.

"Sorry about that Horatio, Kaitlin can talk forever though. She's already getting far too excited and going OTT with everything." Zoë chuckled softly as she lifted his hand once again and moved closer. She placed his hand on her other thigh and looked up at him sweetly.

"So, Paris or Italy for dresses?" Horatio questioned with a smile, as he rubbed her thigh and looked down into her sweet eyes with a secret smile.

"Yeah, I know. I did just say that she's going OTT." Zoë chuckled as she shook her head. Horatio nodded and then removed his hand from her thigh to put it around her shoulder and pull her closer.

"Do you have a preferred colour scheme?" Zoë asked softly as she rested her head on his shoulder and placed both of her hands on his thigh.

"I am very happy with whatever it is you would like." Horatio said softly.

"Well, would you rather wear a blue, purple or red?" Zoë asked softly.

"I really do not mind, Zoë. Whatever you want, sweetheart, it's your choice. I really don't mind, I want this day to be everything you want because everything you want, is everything I want." Horatio said softly as he placed his hand on the side of her neck as he looked lovingly into her eyes after moving away slightly, to get a good look into her eyes. She couldn't help but smile as she glanced down and began to play with her fingers. She looked back up at him with a small shy expression. He could see the tears in her eyes again before she quickly moved and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're absolutely every single thing I want in this world." She said softly against his ear as she turned her head towards his and felt his short hair from behind his ear against her cheek. He felt her take a few short, cut-off breaths as she tried to compose herself as she ran a hand up his back and into his hair.

"Don't worry, they're happy tears again." Zoë chuckled softly as he began to rub her back.

"What do you think about a black suit, white shirt and a lilac tie?" Zoë asked softly as she sat back and crossed her legs as she wiped her eyes.

"I think it sounds lovely." Horatio said softly and Zoë smiled as she wisped the last tear from her left eye.

"Who's your best man?" Zoë asked as she took both of his hands in hers as she ran both her thumbs over the backs of his hands.

"I'm not too sure, I don't have too many people who are close." Horatio said softly and she nodded.

"It's just a suggestion, but how about Eric? You don't even need a best man if you don't want one. We don't have to be traditional." Zoë suggested softly as she tilted her head.

"I'll think about it, if anyone was to be a best man, Eric would be the man." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded and then watched him lift her right hand. He kissed her knuckles as he took a deep breath and let the aroma of her moisturiser engulf him. He smiled as he put her hand back down and looked up at Zoë who had tilted her head and smiled gently.

"Can we invite Nathan? He's been there for us since day 1 really. I cherish him as a close friend now." Zoë said softly.

"Of course sweetheart, I was going to ask you if you wanted Nathan to come too."

"Thank you, can we arrange some drinks with the team and invite Nathan too? I feel that he needs to be included more with us as the entire team does practically live at that hospital, he's saved our lives countless of times and saved our relationship after Maya, I'm sure we could have sorted it out ourselves, but he gave me the push and reassured me when I needed it, he's an amazing man." She said softly.

"It sounds lovely, Zoë." Horatio said softly.

"Thank you" she grinned.

"I was thinking of having matching suits for the best man and Joe and perhaps your groomsmen if you're having any?" Zoë questioned.

"If that's what you would like, then of course." Horatio said softly.

"They'll have grey suits though, with a lilac tie. If you could give me answer as to who and how many people you want as your groomsmen, then I'll give the information to Kaitlin and we'll have suits done. That's if you want groomsmen." Zoë said softly.

"Certainly, I think Eric and Nathan will be the only two requiring a suit though." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded with an excited smile.

"If you could confirm that, that would be brilliant, thank you." Zoë said with a smile and Horatio nodded.

"I'll let you know by tomorrow evening." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded as she bit her lip.

"Thank you!" She grinned and then hugged him again.

"Kaitlin is convinced I'm going to get pregnant and that we're going to have to get the dress adjusted just before the wedding." Zoë grinned as she sat back on her side as she picked up her tea again. "I think we should wait until after we're married before we start trying for a baby, do you agree? If you don't then you can say." Zoë said softly as she held her tea in her hands and felt the warmth from the mug transfer to her hands.

"I agree sweetheart, with you, you do get larger quite quickly because you're small anyway. You were showing quite clearly at 4 weeks, even though we didn't realise." Horatio said softly as he tilted his head and picked up his coffee and took a few sips.

"I guess that's true." Zoë said softly and Horatio gave her a nod as he placed the mug on his thigh and held it in his right hand.

"I don't understand why I didn't get stretch marks on my stomach though." Zoë said as she looked at Horatio sweetly.

"Whether you develop stretch marks are hereditary, some people get them, some don't sweetheart." Horatio said softly.

"Yeah, but I got stretch marks on my boobs." Zoë said softly.

"Then I don't really know sweetheart, you didn't have the chance to get a really big stomach, so perhaps you would have got them at a later stage?" Horatio said softly and she nodded as she pressed one corner of her lips together, agreeing.

"I suppose I should be thankful." Zoë said softly and Horatio gave her a warm smile.

"Anyway, I need some sleep. Shall we get into bed properly?" Zoë asked softly and Horatio nodded as they put their mugs down after finishing them and slunk down into bed.

"Goodnight handsome" She said softly as Horatio moved over to her and placed his arm over her.

"Goodnight beautiful, sweet dreams." He said softly, she gave him a kiss and then relaxed back. She smiled softly as she felt Horatio's fingers moving over her ribs. She watched him breathe gently after he closed his eyes. She couldn't help but let a smile develop across her face, she loved watching him really relax.

They woke the next morning and arrived at work. Zoë walked in to the break room and fixed herself a coffee while Horatio went straight to his office to sort a few things out. Eric and Walter both eventually joined Zoë and she gave them a sweet smile as they walked through the door.

"Hey Zo, everything okay?" Eric asked softly as he strolled over to her and then sat on the sofa next to her. He looked down at the cup of coffee in her hands and then took a deep breath, letting it fill his nostrils. She tilted her head and looked at his slightly tired face.

"Yeah, everything is good thank you, how about you?" She asked back as she turned and crossed her legs with a fresh smile.

"Yeah, same here." Eric smiled at her and then made himself a coffee as he got back up.

"How about you Walter?" Zoë asked softly as she turned around to him as he sat on the other sofa.

"Yeah, I'm good, a little tired but good." Walter smiled as he rested the mug on the armrest. He watched a cheeky smile form on her face and felt a smile already developing on his.

"Kept up by a lovely lady?" Zoë asked.

"I wish." Walter scoffed and Zoë chuckled a little. Both had wide smiles on their faces.

"Have you done something different? You look different." Walter said bravely, as he looked her up and down. He couldn't put his finger on what had changed.

"No, not that I know of anyway. Is it a good different?" Zoë asked softly as she sipped her coffee.

"Yeah, but I can't put my finger on what's different." Walter said as Eric joined Zoë on the sofa and also looked her up and down, seeing a difference but being unable to put his finger on it as well.

"Ah, you're wearing all black, that's it. I've never seen you in all black before, it looks good on you." Walter smiled and Zoë chuckled as she looked down. She ran a finger over the rim of the mug and smiled down at the coffee.

She looked back up at Walter and for the first time, he saw her shy away from something he'd said. "Thank you Walter, I didn't realise that it gave me a different look." She said as she looked back down and studied her black trousers and black long sleeve shirt. She glanced up at Eric as he took a breath.

"It does suit you." He admitted and she looked back down and she felt heat in her cheeks as she blushed slightly. She began to fiddle with her mug as she looked back up to Eric.

"Thank you sweetie." She said softly and he smiled when he saw her rosy cheeks. He then saw a complete change in her facial expression as a her mouth fell open with a smile pulling her lips from ear to ear.

"Oh, we've also got a date for the wedding now!" She said excitedly and then bit her lip as she glanced up to both of them. "We're going to have it August the 11th." Zoë smiled, extremely happy as her grip tightened on the mug.

"August in 3 months, or August next year?" Eric asked softly as he sipped his mug with a genuine smile.

"August in 3 months" Zoë grinned and they could see the excitement emanate from her as she squealed very quietly.

"That's fantastic Zoë!" Eric smiled and she nodded and took a deep breath before looking to the wall with a dreamy expression.

"I know, I'm far too excited." She grinned as she looked at Eric and he chuckled a little.

"We can see that." Eric smiled and Zoë chuckled as she put her coffee down on the table in front of them.

"I cannot wait to say that I'm Zoë-Mae Caine!" She almost jumped in the seat with excitement.

"Mae?" Walter questioned and she glanced round to him and tilted her head slightly, but it hadn't diminished her brilliant smile.

"Yeah, it's my middle name, Zoë Caine is a little different to Zoë Chambers in my mind and I think it has a bit of a better ring to it if I use my middle name a little more: Zoë-Mae Caine. I'm going to be Mrs Caine!" She beamed.

"Mrs Horatio Caine" she said quietly as she stared off into the distance, her dreamy expression had multiplied as she just imagined Horatio again.

"I'm glad you're excited about it." Eric said softly and Zoë looked back to him with a smile and she nodded.

"Thank you" she grinned as she bit her lip.

"We'll be doing the invitations soon." Zoë said softly and they gave her a nod.

"Obviously, you're both invited." She grinned and they chuckled.

"It's only going to be a small thing, there won't be too many people there, just friends." Zoë said softly and they nodded. She sat back after she picked up her coffee again and relaxed.

She looked over to Eric as she sipped her coffee. "Oh and I saw Natalia the other day, she said to say hello to you from her."

"How is she?" Eric asked, interested.

"She's good" Zoë said softly and Eric nodded, he saw her slight unease and knew she probably asked about Ryan.

"Did she ask about Wolfe?" Eric asked and Zoë nodded as she looked down and began to run a finger over the rim of the mug again.

She looked up at Eric and frowned slightly. "I just told her that he quit as he wanted a career change though, so if you ever see her and she asks, that's what I've said and I'd appreciate it if you kept to that story, please?" Zoë asked softly and Eric nodded, with a serious expression himself.

"Of course, Zoë." He said softly and Zoë nodded with a shy smile. She looked down at her watch and then got up and washed the mug up.

"We should get on with some sort of work." She said softly and both Walter and Eric nodded.

"What if Natalia asks why we're not in contact with Wolfe?" Eric asked softly as he got up after her and followed her over to the sink.

"I said that he's gone his separate way." Zoë said softly as she stepped back and then dried her hands. She didn't make eye-contact with either of them and quickly walked out to get on with some paperwork. Eric watched her walk out and sighed to himself, then washed his mug up. An hour later, Zoë saw Horatio walking through the lab towards the elevator, she could see he meant business.

"Horatio" she called as she walked out and over to him as she placed a hand on her hip.

"I'm just on my way to a call out of reports of a domestic." Horatio said softly as he began to walk again, with her.

"Where? We don't deal with domestics." Zoë said as she tilted her head and let her arms dangle beside her.

"It's Natalia's address." Horatio said quietly as he moved closer to her and Zoë's eyes widened just as Eric and Walter walked out of a part of the lab.

"I'm coming." Zoë said as she walked with Horatio towards the elevator.

"I knew something wasn't right." Zoë said as she looked up at Horatio with a deep frown.

"We don't know what's going on yet, Zoë." Horatio said softly when he noticed how worried and panicked she'd become.

"What's going on?" Eric questioned as Horatio placed his hand on her lower back.

"Domestic." Zoë said sharply as she looked back to him briefly as Horatio pressed a button in the elevator.

"Why are you going?" He asked as he stopped in front of the elevator with them with Walter close. Zoë looked up at Horatio, unsure if she should share the information as the doors opened and they stepped onto the elevator. Horatio gave her a quick nod as he removed his hand from her back and fiddled with his sunglasses.

"It's at Natalia's house." Zoë said quietly and Eric quickly stopped the elevator doors from closing and then boarded the lift with Horatio and Zoë, Walter quickly did the same. They both looked at Zoë for more information, both as shocked and worried as the other.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Natalia, it's Horatio and Zoë, are you in?" Zoë questioned loudly as Horatio knocked on her front door and then waited a few moments.

"Miami Dade Police, open up." Horatio said loudly. Zoë quickly moved back and picked up the spare key and then let them in. Zoë and Horatio entered first with their guns drawn, Eric entered after with a patrol officer while Walter entered after him with another patrol officer. They split into pairs and scouted the house.

"There's definitely been a struggle here." Zoë said as they looked around after putting her gun away when she heard "clear" shouted by others. She placed her hands on her hips and looked around. Photo's had been knocked off the fireplace, vases had been smashed, cushions had been thrown around the living room.

"Yes, but who was here?" Horatio asked as he placed his hands on his hips and studied the place, it looked nothing like the place they'd visited a few days previously.

"I don't know, I have a feeling that it's someone she knows though." Zoë said as they looked at a smashed vase beside the dining room table. She then heard Horatio beginning to walk out of the dining room and followed him when she felt an eerie sensation shoot up her spine, causing the fine hairs on her forearms to stand on edge. She followed him into the living room where everyone had congregated.

"Whoever was here is gone, Natalia is not here either." Eric said as he looked at Zoë and Horatio.

"Yes, but where would she go? I suppose she could have gone to the hospital if she was hurt, or she could have been taken." Walter said as he glanced around. Each of them had their hands on their hips. Zoë looked up at Horatio as she lowered her eyebrows. '_I knew something was wrong! But Horatio is right, I couldn't find anything out as she didn't want to tell me, which is fair enough, but now she's in danger. Fair enough she might have her secrets, but she must talk to someone if she's in danger. I would if my life was in danger.'_ Zoë thought to herself as Horatio glanced to her. He watched her swallow as the guilt multiplied in her eyes as did her worry.

"This is now a crime scene, Eric and Walter go and get your kits." Horatio said as he glanced out to the back garden, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The two patrol officers left and taped the house off and stood outside as Eric and Walter left. Horatio placed his hand on her lower back and stepped closer to Zoë. "It's not your fault, don't blame yourself." Horatio said quietly as he moved in close enough to detect the fragrance of her hair. She looked up at him and frowned more as she looked into his eyes. He raised his hand to her cheek and then tilted his head. "Zoë, don't blame yourself." Horatio said quietly again and she exhaled and her eyes dropped to a specific button on his shirt as she slowly nodded. He moved his hand from her face and took a step back as Eric and Walter re-entered with their kits in their hands. Zoë then walked out as Horatio placed his hands on his hips and watched her briskly walk. He turned around once she'd left and took another look around the living room.

Zoë entered the living room again and looked over to Horatio as he looked down at what looked like blood on the floor. Eric and Walter scouted the house to try and find where the struggle had started, but the house was just completely obliterated, there was no obvious start.

Zoë looked up at Horatio as he crouched by the wet red patch and he studied it intensely. Zoë then walked over to him and crouched beside him.

"I'm unsure if that is blood or not." Horatio admitted as he looked up at Zoë. Her eyes intensified on the patch and then got a swab from it and studied the red swab. She reached down to the rub with her gloved hand and pressed her index finger into the wet carpet. She then looked at it.

"This isn't blood, the consistency is all wrong. It's ink." Zoë said as she looked up at Horatio and he nodded, with a sigh of relief just as Zoë exhaled a sigh of relief.

"It looks like the pen has been kicked under the arm chair." Zoë said as she lifted the fabric to reveal a pen that had fallen from the nearby cabinet.

"That means the struggle was recent." Horatio said as he stood back up. Zoë looked up at him and nodded. Zoë then stood up after putting the swab in her kit and looked up at Horatio. She then looked away and picked up her kit and walked out and through to the bright kitchen. Horatio exhaled and then followed her through.

"Zoë" Horatio called softly as she concentrated on a smashed mug. "Zoë" Horatio called again and she looked around to him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Horatio, I told you I thought something was wrong, I knew I should have listened to my instincts, I could have prevented something like this from happening." Zoë said quietly as she looked up at Horatio as they stood the in the kitchen. Horatio looked down from her curly brown hair and took a deep breath as he looked at a specific white tile on the floor.

"You couldn't have done anything to prevent this Zoë." Horatio assured her as he glanced up at her and moved on the spot. "It was Natalia's choice to keep quiet if something was wrong." Horatio said softly, trying to reassure her as he began to fiddle with his sunglasses. Zoë sighed and gently shook her head.

"What if she tried telling us though? What if someone was abusing her?" Zoë asked as she looked directly into his eyes as she placed her hands upon her hips, making sure to keep the ink stained fingers from her clothes.

"She didn't give me any cause for concern when we were around here the other day, she had reasonable cause for her bruises, you bruise yourself all the time, Zoë." Horatio said softly as he stepped closer to her and lowered his head. "Don't worry, we'll find her." Horatio assured her.

"Zoë, is this case affecting you because of something else other than Natalia?" Horatio asked bluntly but quietly.

"Pardon?" She asked as she glanced up to him with a deep frown. He exhaled softly and looked down to the floor.

"Would you rather go back to the lab?" Horatio asked warmly as he looked back up to her with a tilted head.

"No, why would I rather go back to the lab?" She asked as her frown deepened more.

"Zoë, this is affecting you more than it should. Have you been abused before? Did Mike hit you more than twice?" Horatio asked quietly as he stepped in closer.

"What? No, the only person who's ever abused me is my monster of a father, Mike only ever hit me twice, he wasn't abusive at all. This is affecting me because Natalia is a friend, I should have picked up on it. It's going to affect all of us, Horatio. I'm sorry if I'm overreacting to stuff, but I can't help but feel like this was my fault because I thought something was wrong, but I didn't do anything. I wasn't sure." Zoë scowled at him, she saw his facial expression relax slightly. He was just happy to hear that she wasn't abused by anyone.

"Okay sweetheart, I'm sorry for getting the wrong end of the stick. But you can't blame yourself, we're trained to look at the evidence, she didn't give us any evidence to cause any concern. She had valid reasons for her injuries." Horatio said softly.

Zoë took a deep breath and then nodded as she looked down to his buttons. "I'm going to look upstairs." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded and then walked out after her. They climbed the stairs and looked at the wall pictures; even they had been disturbed. They looked in all of the rooms and then stopped in the guest room. All rooms had been disturbed except that guestroom.

"I don't like this Horatio." She whispered as she looked at him and he nodded. They then looked to Eric as he entered the room.

"There's been sexual activity in the main bedroom, it's possible that she was attacked and then raped." Eric said softly.

"Or her attacker was a boyfriend." Zoë said lowly as she placed her hands on her hips and studied Eric in his jeans, t-shirt and jacket. Eric exhaled and then rubbed his forehead. Each team member was highly stressed.

"It could have been her ex-husband. Do you know anything about him? She never really mentioned him to me. Perhaps they slept together and then something happened?" Zoë asked Eric.

"She never really mentioned him to me, just that he was in prison for attacking someone." Eric said softly and Zoë frowned.

"Can you give us a name?" Zoë asked and Eric shook his head.

"Sorry, she never told me his name, I never asked either. It wasn't my business." Eric said softly and Zoë nodded as she pouted with one side of her mouth. '_This guy has a history of violence.'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"Find out who he is and whether he's out of prison." Horatio said firmly to Eric as Zoe looked from Eric to Horatio.

"You got it H." Eric said with a nod before he walked away and pulled his phone out. Walter then appeared at the door as Zoë ran a hand through her hair.

"I've just found more smashed things in the bathroom and the lock has been ripped from the door." Walter said as he joined them as he leant against the door frame.

"She tried to get away." Zoë sighed as she shook her head and looked up at Horatio. She shivered as she felt another chill shoot up her spine. She tightened her jaw as she looked around the room again.

"Something isn't right, I can feel it. I'm missing something." Zoë said as she looked up at Horatio.

"It'll come to you." Horatio assured her warmly as he took a glance around the room.

"What do you want me to do? I've got all of the prints I can from the bedroom and bathroom." Walter said softly as Zoë turned around as she tilted her head.

"Print the entire house." Horatio said as Zoë placed her hands on her hips with her back to them.

"I'll put out a BOLO for Natalia and any male seen with her." Eric said softly as he passed the door and Horatio nodded. Zoë looked up at the ceiling and frowned.

"Zoë, can you give me a hand with the prints?" Walter asked and she raised her hand.

"Wait, I need some quiet please." She said softly.

"We don't have time to–" Walter said as he and Horatio looked at Zoe. They both then glanced up at the ceiling but couldn't see anything but pristine paintwork.

"Shut up Walter." Zoë said as she drew her gun and turned around, they saw her searching eyes do another once over of the room as she took the safety off her gun.

"There's someone here." Zoë whispered as she looked at Horatio and he frowned as he studied her grave expression. '_She's serious, she's caught on to something.'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"Listen." She said as she took hold of her gun with both hands and kept it pointed down, safely as she looked back up at the ceiling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"That's just Eric." Walter said as he shrugged and heard Eric in the bathroom, processing.

"Shut up, Walter. Listen carefully." She growled at him as she looked back down to him with fire in her eyes. Walter swallowed and closed his mouth. Horatio looked down as he tried his hardest to listen.

"I can't hear anything, Zoë" Horatio said softly a few moments later, she nodded at him with an exhale and then walked over to him. She placed her hand on his chest and lightly pushed him gently over to the door from the middle of the room. She looked up at the ceiling and Horatio then slowly drew his gun. He knew she'd heard something, he knew she'd picked up on something so quiet that he couldn't hear and he knew she was deadly serious.

"I don't think this guy has taken Natalia anywhere." Zoë whispered as she looked over to Horatio as he took his safety off.

"Horatio, get the loft hatch, please." Zoë whispered and Horatio stepped forward as Walter drew his gun and looked up to the loft hatch in the room when he realised they were both serious. All three of their heartbeats had picked up. Zoë heard something again and her eyes trained on the ceiling at the end of the room. It sounded like someone's shoe scraping over a dusty floorboard. Horatio quickly pulled on the string and the hatch opened as the ladder came down. Zoë quickly scrambled up the ladder to see the loft brightly lit with the skylights bringing lots of light into it. A plume of dust floated down from the loft, causing Zoë to cough.

"Natalia!" Zoë said as she saw Natalia tied and gagged at the end of the loft, leaning against the wall. Natalia tried to scream but her screams were muffled by the cloth gag that was in her mouth. She shook her head at Zoë with wide eyes and a very panicked expression. Zoë felt two large hands grab her upper arms from behind. She was quickly lifted into the loft as she dropped her gun and it fell to Horatio's feet.

"Zoë!" Horatio yelled as he began to climb up the ladder but a board was put over the loft hatch. Horatio placed his hands against the board and tried pushing on it.

"Zoë!" Horatio shouted as he tried pushing harder on the board, but it wouldn't shift. Eric quickly ran in and drew his gun to see Horatio pushing at the board, having also dropped his gun.

In the loft Zoë was released and she turned around to see a man. She scowled at him as she studied his very short hair and cream suit. Zoë took a strong, confident stance as she placed her fists on her waist and gave him a dirty look.

"Who are you?" Zoë questioned with tight lips.

"Nick" he replied sharply as he looked her up and down.

"I take it that you're Zoë" he said to her as he stood on the board and Zoë scowled at him a lot more violently.

"Zoë!" Natalia murmured through the gag.

Zoë listened to her cry and her jaw tightened as the fire in her eyes was nearing explosion as she took a deep breath. "Don't worry Natalia, I'll get to you in a moment. Stay calm for me." Zoë said softly. Zoë could hear Horatio shouting for her as well as Eric and Walter.

"I take it that you're the ex-husband who was in prison?" Zoë questioned and he nodded with a sharp grin.

"You haven't said anything about me to these people, have you babe?" Nick said to Natalia who shook her head frantically.

"Natalia, you're safe, don't worry." Zoë called over to Natalia as she glared at Nick.

"Why were you in prison?" Zoë questioned.

"I'm what they call a wife beater." Nick replied as his eyes narrowed on Zoë, smelling fresh meat.

Zoë's face contorted into a range of emotions, from utterly disgusted to extremely angry. "You are a sick bastard. You pushed her down the stairs, didn't you? You gave her that black eye and those bruises." Zoë growled at him and he nodded with a shrug. Zoë could feel the steam rising from her as she tightened her fists.

"Yet, she comes back for more. Must be the sex, it must be worth it is she comes back to me every time, it's like I have this potent snare that she can't get herself free from." Nick chuckled. Zoë shook her head and then quickly backed off and turned to Natalia with her lips pressed into a very hard line. Zoë pulled the gag from Natalia's mouth and then pulled her hands and ankles free.

"Zoë!" Natalia said as Nick made his way over to them after pulling a very heavy box over the board to prevent Horatio from getting up. Zoë quickly turned and stood up, standing in front of Natalia.

"I really wouldn't mess with me, Nick. I guarantee that you'll come off worse." Zoë growled at him and he laughed. He looked her up and down and she could see that he didn't believe her. She watched his hand make a tight fist as he raised his arm. He launched his fist at Zoë but she quickly responded by blocking his fist with her forearm and using his momentum to push his arm in another direction. Once his fist was moving away from her, she clipped him in the jaw and then pushed him back forcefully after placing her hands on his chest.

He swallowed as he took a step back and frowned at her, shocked by her quick reaction and trained defence.

"This is the last warning, do not mess with me." Zoë said firmly as Natalia stood up behind Zoë, surprised herself. Zoë exhaled through her nose as she felt her throat tickling slightly, but refused to cough.

"Zoë, don't you'll get hurt." Natalia said frantically as she placed her hands on Zoë's forearm and tried to pull her back. But Zoë didn't budge from the strong stance as she glared at Nick.

"Please Nick, you'll be arrested. Don't do anything to her, do what you want to me, but leave Zoë out of this. This is between you and me, not Zoë." Natalia pleaded as she let go of Zoë's forearm when she realised she wasn't going to get through to Zoe. Nick looked from Zoë to Natalia and then back. Natalia took a step forwards but Zoë placed her arm across Natalia's stomach, preventing her from moving forwards anymore.

"Natalia stand back for me, you're not going to get hurt anymore, I can assure you of that." Zoë said firmly as she stepped up to Nick, tightening her lips more. Zoë quickly pushed Natalia back when she saw Nick readying himself to hit Zoë again as he stepped forwards with a menacing expression.

Both of Nick's fists clenched as he brought his right arm up again and directed the strong fist at her face, but she quickly blocked him again. She charged at him and took hold of his suit-jacket shoulder pad as she pressed her forearm into his throat. She pushed him back against the loft wall, and felt his head connect with the wooden wall.

"I said, do not mess with me." Zoë snapped pointedly. Nick pushed her off him and then tried to hit her again, but she took hold of his wrist and held his hand in a wrist lock.

"I will wipe the fucking floor with you, you bastard." She snapped sharply again as he gritted his teeth. He fell to his knees and she pressed on his pressure point. He hit the floor with his other hand as Natalia raised her hands to her mouth, shocked to see Nick restrained so easily and by Zoë, who was twice as small as him.

"When are you going to learn?" Zoë questioned loudly as she twisted his wrist a little more.

"Zoë! Don't." Natalia pleaded as she rushed over to them. Nick reached out to grab Natalia but Zoë quickly pushed him to the floor and gently took hold of Natalia and moved her away.

"Stay back, Natalia, I don't want you getting hurt." Zoë said softly but was then pulled away from Natalia by Nick. She quickly pushed him off and blocked a succession of punches and kicks that he tried to throw at her. She kneed him in the groin and then pushed him to the floor and pulled his hands up his back as she sat on him.

"Do not move." Zoë said firmly as she reached for her handcuffs but she couldn't feel them. She looked around but couldn't see her cuffs anywhere.

"Natalia, can you get that box off the board please?" Zoë asked and Natalia quickly made her way over to the box and tried moving it.

"Don't you dare move an inch." Zoë growled as she looked back down at him, her heart rate had calmed considerably as she felt herself move every time he inhaled and exhaled.

"Why can't you put up a fight like this Natalia? A little more resistance would make it more exciting for the both of us." He chuckled menacingly.

"Shut the fuck up." Zoë said as she let go of his wrist with one hand then hit him in the face. She took hold of his wrists again, tightly.

"If you touch her again, I will snap your neck like a twig, do you understand?" Zoë asked firmly and he just grinned, her anger boiled again.

"I said do you understand?" Zoë asked louder as she pulled his arms up further, causing him pain.

"Yes, yes I understand." He pleaded and she released his arms a little.

"I can't move it, Zoë." Natalia said as she struggled to move it.

"Stay there, or I will break your leg." Zoë growled a she got up off him and quickly made her way over to the box and then pushed with Natalia. Zoë lifted the board up and looked down and saw Horatio and Eric beside the door talking to patrol. She turned around to realise that Nick had got to his feet and he pushed her down the hatch. Horatio and Eric turned around when they heard her hit the floor.

"Mmm" she moaned after she landed on the floor on her back.

"Zoë?" Horatio questioned as he watched her lay on the floor, moving slightly.

"You fucking bastard." She groaned quietly, directing her words at Nick and then looked over to Horatio and Eric as they began to rush over to her. She looked back up when she saw Nick falling down after her as Natalia had pushed him out. He landed on her and she let out another groan, he felt his entire weight and more on her. She struggled to breathe as he was crushing her rib-cage. Horatio and Eric quickly pushed him off her and over to the side.

"Zoë, are you alright sweetheart?" Horatio asked gently as he crouched beside her and placed his hand on the top of her head. She turned her head and glared ferociously at Nick.

"What did I say to you?" He, Horatio and Eric saw the anger in her eyes boiling and knew she was going to explode at Nick.

"Zoë, are you okay? Stay still sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She pushed his hand away and sat up and then restrained Nick as she moved over to him.

"What did I say to you?!" Zoë raised her voice as he looked up at her while she knelt on his chest to keep him down. She slapped him across the face and then withdrew her hand as she shook it, feeling it sting. He looked back up at her, feeling his cheek sting and glared back into her eyes, he was struggling to breathe as she had her weight on his chest. She moved from kneeling on his chest and took hold of his right leg.

"I warned you." She said as she looked back at him and she saw the fear developing in his eyes. Walter slowly helped Natalia down as Zoë twisted his leg and he began to writhe in pain.

"Stop you crazy bitch." He pleaded as he shook his head and gritted his teeth.

"I warned you, I warned you not to mess with me and I warned you not to move or I will break your leg. I guess you're the crazy one for disobeying me." She raised her voice.

Horatio reached over and began to pull her hands from his leg. "Zoë, calm down sweetheart." He said warmly. He could feel her resisting against him.

"Back off Horatio." She growled as she looked down into Nick's eyes with venom. Horatio didn't back off, he continued to try and stop her, but didn't try too hard as he was afraid of hurting her.

"I'm waiting to hear that pop of your knee cap and that will be so bloody painful." Zoë growled as she twisted his leg more, feeling his knee cap under her palm as she put pressure on it.

"Zoë, release him, I'll take care of this." Horatio said firmly as his grip of her wrists tightened a little more.

"No! Please stop! Please!" Nick cried and she then released his leg, Horatio let go of her wrists and then watched her get up. He stood himself as she scowled at him.

"It's not nice, is it? I'm not going to dislocate your knee because that would mean a trip to the hospital, and I'd rather take you straight over to MDPD to be booked for assault. If Natalia won't charge, I certainly am and you'll be getting a longer sentence as I'm a police officer. Have a lovely time in jail getting butt fucked." She growled down at him as Horatio took hold of her upper arm and quickly pulled her away as she lunged down at him. He flinched and watched Horatio pull her away with wide eyes. Eric hauled Nick up and cuffed him.

Horatio gently pulled her over to the corner of the room and then released her arm.

"Zoë" Horatio said softly as she looked down, rubbing the knuckles of her right hand as her jaw remained tight and clenched. "Zoë" Horatio said softly again as he reached out and pulled her hands apart gently. He saw her lips tighten again and knew she was fighting with herself. "Zoë, will you please look at me?" Horatio whispered as Walter looked over to them. She looked up at him with a dangerous expression.

"Zoë, I need you to take a deep breath." Horatio said softly, but she remained tense. "Zoë" Horatio said softly as he placed his hand on her upper arm again and took a light hold as he looked into her eyes. She exhaled a kept breath and then took a deep breath, keeping her eye contact with Horatio. He slowly nodded at her, reassuring her as she reached up and unclenched her fist before she placed her hand against his chest and then looked down. She felt his light heartbeat beating in his chest and she concentrated on the light rhythmic flutters.

"That's it." Horatio whispered as he ran his knuckles over her flushed, hot cheek as she calmed herself using his heartbeat. She looked back up at him with a nod and then dropped her hand back to her side.

"Thank you, I'm good." She said as she relaxed herself and loosened her shoulders. Horatio then gave her a nod before she turned around and headed over to Natalia who was watching Nick get dragged out of the room.

Zoë's eyes softened more once she looked at Natalia as she continued to keep herself calm. "Are you okay, Natalia?" Zoë asked softly and she nodded at her as Zoë placed her arm on Natalia's forearm.

"Thank you Zoë." She said softly, quietly. Zoë then heard Horatio walking up behind her, just to double check that Zoë wasn't seething once more.

Zoë exhaled again softly and gave Natalia a small smile. "Not a problem." Zoë said before she glanced back to Horatio. Horatio quickly walked away as he knew they wanted some privacy.

"If you ever need to talk, don't be afraid to talk to me about it. I should have suspected something was wrong the other day, but I didn't want to believe it. Don't be afraid to ask for help Natalia, especially if your life is in danger." Zoë said quietly as she tilted her head, giving Natalia non-threatening eye-contact, just as Horatio always did.

"Thank you Zoë, I would appreciate it that you didn't share anything you know with the others. I don't want them to know that he was put in prison for hurting me, if they ask, tell them that he assaulted someone during a bar fight." Natalia asked quietly as she looked at Zoë, worried and ashamed.

"Of course, if you ever have a problem with him again, come straight to me. I will sort him out and put him straight back in jail. If you need to talk about anything, my door is always open." Zoë said softly, sincerely as she held Natalia's eye-contact.

"Thanks" Natalia said quietly, becoming slightly uncomfortable.

"I understand more than you think if that's what you're worried about." Zoë said quietly and Natalia looked up at her, with a frown, looking somewhat alarmed.

"Horatio?" Natalia whispered, confused.

"Good lord, no. Not Horatio. He wouldn't even hurt a fly. But I've been put through abuse before and I couldn't stop it. So if you feel like you need to talk to someone who understands, then just give me a call or something." Zoë said quietly and Natalia nodded, with a small smile.

"Thank you Zoë, I really appreciate it." Natalia said softly and Zoë gave her a nod as she removed her hand from Natalia's arm.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Natalia asked, concerned about Zoe.

"Not really, my landing was a bit hard, but I'll be fine. I think he came off worse." Zoë said softly and Natalia nodded.

Natalia watched Zoë's eyes intensify slightly again. "Is he the reason why you quit?"

"Kind of, there are other reasons too." Natalia said softly and Zoë nodded, knowing that Natalia was cutting her off and knew not to pry.

"Okay, well, we've still got that space open if you want it. Horatio would be happy to hire you again." Zoë said softly.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not." Natalia said softly and Zoë nodded.

Zoë then glanced to the bruises on Natalia's arms. "Okay, has he hurt you? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Zoë asked softly.

"Not really, I'll just have a few bruises, nothing serious." Natalia said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Will you be charging him?" Zoë asked softly.

"No, if I charge him again and he gets released again, he'll come after me again." Natalia said quietly.

"You don't have to be scared of him anymore. I will genuinely snap his neck if he comes anywhere near you again. I will be making sure that he won't be getting out of that prison in a very long time and when he does, he'll be a broken man. If his inmates find out that he's associated with the police force in anyway, he'll be beaten to shit. Perhaps then he'll learn his lesson." Zoë said lowly as she tensed slightly as her gentle hands became fists again.

"He's not associated with the police though." Natalia said softly.

"The inmates don't know that. I have my ways, he'll never touch you again, Natalia. If you want to charge, I can get you a brilliant lawyer who won't settle for less. I'm using Miami's top lawyer." Zoë said softly.

"Thanks Zoë, but I'd rather just stay away from him altogether." Natalia replied.

Zoë sighed softly and then nodded as she glanced down. "Okay, I understand. Take care Natalia, I'll let you know what happens with him." Zoë said softly and Natalia nodded.

"Thank you for everything, Zoë." Natalia said softly and Zoë gave her a genuine smile.

"Don't worry about it, I'm always happy to help." Zoë said softly and then gently hugged her.

"We'll be out of your hair now. If you want the number of a good decorator I can give you one, or I could give you a hand with the mess?" Zoë said softly and Natalia nodded.

"Thanks, but it's just things that are smashed that need picking up really." Natalia said softly and Zoë nodded.

"Okay, see you later." Zoë said before she walked away and over to Horatio as Eric approached Natalia.

"Everything okay?" Eric asked softly and Natalia nodded.

"Yeah, thank you." Natalia said softly.

"Okay, if you want to talk, you know where I am." Eric said softly and Natalia nodded as she placed her hands on her hips.

"See you soon, if you need anything give me a call." Eric said softly.

"Thanks Eric." Natalia said softly and Eric gave her a nod and then walked out after Horatio and Zoë. Natalia stood still and swallowed. She ran a hand through her hair and couldn't believe what had just happened. Once they'd left, she began to lightly cry as she cleared the house. She was thankful for everything Zoë and the team had done for her, but at the same time wished that none of them had come to hers. She did feel somewhat relieved that Nick was going to be going back to prison though. Zoë and Horatio drove back to the lab in the hummer.

"Did he manage to hurt you at all?" He asked softly as he glanced over to her.

"Only when he pushed me down that hatch, but it's nothing serious. I'm good." Zoë said softly as she exhaled, sitting forwards in the seat as she leant on the door and looked out. She took a deep breath and then looked down to her knees before she glanced over to Horatio and watched him drive.

"I wouldn't have actually broken his leg, Horatio." Zoë said softly as she looked up at him. He glanced over to her a few times and then rubbed his forehead. He looked back out of the front window as she looked up at him, upset and frowning at him.

"You know me better than that. I was just showing him that he wasn't to mess with me. He believed that I was going to do it, and that is all I wanted to see." Zoë said softly, unhappy that he thought she was actually going to cause so much harm to another human being, intentionally. She began to fiddle with her fingers as she looked down to her hands when Horatio didn't look back to her. "He'll think twice about ignoring me next time." Zoë added softly and Horatio glanced over to her with a sigh. He then reached over and placed his hand on her thigh and gave her a nod as she looked up at him. He saw her visibly relax and calm. They arrived back at the lab and booked Nick for assault. She walked into Horatio's office after and gave him a small shy smile.

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly as she put her hands in her pockets and looked down to the floor. She shrugged as she bit her lip as he lowered his eyebrows. "Zoë?" Horatio asked softly and she looked up at him as she stepped forwards a little.

"I was just wondering if you could look at something for me?" Zoë asked quietly and Horatio stood and nodded.

"Of course." He replied warmly as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm not sure if I've done something to one of the ribs on my back, could you have a look, please?" Zoë asked softly with a shrug and Horatio nodded.

"Come here" Horatio said softly as he pushed his chair back and turned to the side as Zoë walked around the desk and took her jacket off. She pulled her shirt up and turned around. He looked down at her back and placed his hands on either side of her waist.

"Where am I looking?" Horatio asked softly as he studied her flesh and felt her skin warm his hands up. She looked down at the carpet as she waited to hear Horatio's verdict.

"The right side, just under the shoulder blade." Zoë said softly and Horatio tried to pull her shirt up higher.

"I can't see it, I can't get your shirt up anymore." Horatio said softly and she nodded and then stepped away and quickly took her shirt off. Horatio stepped forward and lightly placed his hand over the red patch on her back, it felt hotter than the rest of her skin.

"It looks a little inflamed." Horatio said softly as she exhaled softly. He ran his fingers around the edge of the inflamed area.

"Touch it and see what it feels like. Is the skin broken?" Zoë questioned softly as she placed her hands on her hipbones.

"Okay sweetheart and no, the skin isn't broken." Horatio pressed on the red patch and fell the rib that was giving her problems. He studied it intensely and pressed a little more until she hissed in pain and withdrew slightly. He quickly pulled his hand away from the area, realising he'd been too heavy-handed and did actually press a lot harder than he'd intended. "I'm sorry" he quickly apologised and she nodded down at the carpet, still awaiting his verdict. He placed his hand over it again and gently felt around.

"I can't feel anything odd." Horatio said softly.

"Okay, it is probably nothing then. I thought I'd check though." Zoë said softly as the door opened. They both looked over to the door and saw Walter stopping in his tracks and looking at them. Horatio quickly stood up straight and looked at Walter as he stood there in shock. Zoë stood up straight and picked her shirt up from the desk and covered herself as she turned to him.

Horatio turned to him, and placed his hands on his hips after glancing to Zoë to make sure she'd managed to cover herself. "Walter, out please." Horatio said relatively calmly. Walter had just frozen to the spot though as he looked at Zoë as she quickly pulled her shirt back on. Walter's mouth went dry when he saw Zoë's bra, her flat stomach and tanned skin.

"Walter!" Horatio warned and Eric quickly pulled him away and closed the door. Zoë looked over to Horatio with a shy smile as she did her buttons up quickly.

"Don't worry about it Horatio, he didn't see anything." She assured Horatio and then flicked her long dark brown hair out of the shirt. He looked over to her and she saw that he was highly annoyed.

"That defeats the point, he should knock before entering."

"I'll go and talk to him, it's okay." Zoë said a she pulled her waistcoat back on and did the buttons up and then flicked her hair out of the back of the waistcoat and then lifted one of his hands with a gentle smile in hope of soothing his fiery eyes. He exhaled softly and looked down to his hand in hers as she played with his fingers.

"How is your back feeling? We can go to the hospital if you'd like?" Horatio asked softly, calming himself down as he reached up with his other hand and sorted her waistcoat out as he'd noticed she'd done the buttons up wrong, probably because she was getting stressed from him getting annoyed. She looked down as he pulled his hand from hers and undone her buttons. She looked away and down at the carpet as he did them back up for her.

"Zoë, don't worry about it." Horatio assured her as he placed both hands on each side of her head and guided her gaze back over to him. She took a deep, slightly broken breath and then exhaled.

"It's fine, probably just another bruise, there is no need for a trip to the hospital at all." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded as he moved both hands down to her shoulders as she tilted her head at him, looking into his eyes as they were the only things keeping her from getting upset about the waistcoat incident.

"If you get any problems with it, come back to me, please?" Horatio asked softly.

"I will." She said as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. She pulled him in to a warm embrace and placed her head on his shoulder. They both remained silent, just feeling the other's slow, regular breathing pattern. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up, into his eyes once more. He moved forwards and kissed the tip of her nose, she quickly withdrew her head further and playfully frowned lightly at him with a giggle.

"What was that?" She asked as she tilted her head with a wide smile developing.

"I kissed your nose." Horatio said softly as he interlocked his fingers behind her back, holding her against him.

"I know that, but why?" She asked softly as she looked up at him with another giggle as she scrunched her nose up.

"Because I felt like it" Horatio replied huskily as he moved his head closer to her again and put the tip of his nose against hers.

"Have you never been kissed on the nose?" Horatio asked and she gently shook her head as she studied the pinching of the corner of his eyes where he was smiling so much, having completely forgotten about Walter. He closed his eyes and she mimicked him and then felt him press his lips against hers. He guided her lips open and kissed her passionately, each tasting the mints they'd finished a while ago. He felt her lips move over his with ease as her lip-balm made it easier. They broke from the kiss when they realised they were getting too into it and that they were still at work, in Horatio's office. They put their foreheads together for a moment before Horatio moved his head and then kissed the tip of her nose again and she giggled as she scrunched up her nose again. Another wide grin appeared on Horatio's face as he studied her facial expression, coupled with her giggle.

"I'll see you a little later okay." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded.

"You certainly will." Horatio replied before he placed another quick kiss on her lips and then released her. She smiled up at him and then picked up her jacket and backed off. She gave him a wink before she walked out. He watched her walk out, hips swaying and sat down in his chair with a wide smile. He rolled his lips together when he realised that most of her lip-balm had transferred to his lips, again.

Zoë walked into the lab where Walter and Eric were working and looked at Walter with her expression hardening a little. "You should knock before going into Horatio's office, he's not very happy." Zoë mumbled as she leant on the desk in front of Walter.

"I'm so sorry Zoë, I didn't realise you were in there." Walter pleaded as he placed his hands on the desk after putting a piece of paper down.

She frowned at him and shook her head. "Doesn't matter if I'm in there or not, it's manners to knock." Zoë said softly and then looked down at what Eric was doing. He minded his own business and carried on with what he was doing.

"I'm sorry, Zoë." Walter said as he looked at her, looking quite sorry. She looked up at Eric, her eyes hard on him too and he glanced over to her. He quickly frowned when she didn't look too pleased with him either.

"I'm sorry, I thought he was going to knock." Eric said softly and she nodded as she looked back down to what he was doing with a softer expression.

"It's okay, but next time, knock. I'm sure he'll want words with you. But you're just lucky he was looking at my back and that we weren't doing anything else. Because I think that would have been more embarrassing for you than it would have been for us." Zoë said softly as she looked back up at Walter who looked at her wide-eyed with his mouth firmly closed. "Not that we actually do anything here." She added when she saw the look Walter gave her. Walter nodded at her, looking a little relieved.

"Is your back okay?" Eric asked softly as he looked over to her and she nodded as he looked back up at him.

"Yeah, Horatio said he can't feel anything wrong. It's just a bruise." Zoë said softly and Eric nodded, she then swiftly walked out and Eric and Walter looked to each other, Eric didn't look too pleased with Walter either. Walter swallowed as he looked down at what he was doing.

"Hey, you don't think they've actually had sex on that desk, have you? I've touched that desk before…" Walter said as he looked up at Eric, looking concerned.

He hadn't noticed that Zoë was no more than a few meters from the lab and could hear exactly what he'd said. She immediately felt her heart rate quicken as she knew she was about to explode at him. She found herself marching back into the lab. "Walter! What have I said about talking about me behind my back?" Zoë said firmly with her hands on her hips as his mouth fell open as his eyes widened.

"I-I'm sorry, Zoë." Walter squirmed, unable to say anything else as he held his hands up in submission. Her hands tightened on her waist.

"I don't appreciate it if you talk about our sex life behind our backs, I'm sure Eric doesn't want to be hearing it either! And for your information, we have not done anything in his office, we remain professional at work, I've only kissed him in that office." Zoë said sharply. Walter swallowed as he leant on the desk in front of him and looked at her apologetically.

He saw her relax slightly as she dropped her hands from her hips. "I however can't say the same thing about that desk you're leaning on there." She said sweetly as she turned to briskly walk out. Walter quickly sprang back off the desk as Eric began to laugh, Walter's heart rate had doubled. Walter looked to Eric with wide eyes, confused by his amusement.

"She's messing with you, Walter." Eric chuckled and Walter exhaled.

"Why does she do that to me?" Walter questioned as he relaxed and cautiously placed his hands back on the desk.

"Because it stops you from talking about her private life with Horatio and it shocks you. She does it to get that exact reaction. I have to say, I applaud her. She's a clever woman; she can obviously get into your head." Eric smiled as he looked back down to the desk and continued to write something.

"Why doesn't she get into your head? Why does she just do this to me, it's like bullying." Walter complained.

"I'm very sure she could get into my head whenever she wanted, but I don't give her cause to so she leaves me alone. She just knows exactly what to say and when to say it. If you don't like it, stop talking about her." Eric sighed.

"Horatio can be the same, you need to watch your back around them, they will get you when you least expect it." Eric chuckled.

"I think I've gathered that they've both got a wicked poker face." Walter said softly as he relaxed further.

"She'll play around with you to manipulate you, most women can do it, just not quite like how she does it, I've never seen someone do it so well either." Eric chuckled.

"I'm surprised she didn't play around with Natalia when she thought that Zoë was having an affair with Horatio on her fiancé." Eric smiled, he knew that would have been slightly amusing.

"Yeah, why didn't she?" Walter questioned.

"At a guess, I'd say it was down to the fact that Natalia left soon after." Eric said softly and Walter nodded.

"She's a nightmare, she could quite easily be a criminal mastermind and we wouldn't know about it." Walter chuckled and Eric then let out a small chuckle, agreeing.

"Mwahaha" Zoë cackled loudly as she stood behind Walter. He almost jumped out of his skin, he turned along with Eric.

"You are a criminal mastermind, aren't you?" Walter questioned and she chuckled as she shrugged.

"I'm not telling you anything." She grinned up at him.

"You're unbelievable, how did you manage to get behind me?!" Walter questioned.

"I said I'm not telling you anything. But I'm glad you decided to stop talking about my sex life…" Zoë said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Why aren't you a spy or something? You'd be really good at that. How does Horatio deal with your games? I think I'd go crazy…" Walter said honestly.

"I prefer to be a police officer than a spy and I don't play games with Horatio very often at all." Zoë said as she raised an eyebrow. '_Well, certainly not games like that anyway…'_ She thought to herself as a smug smile appeared on her face.

"He's a lucky man in that case." Walter said quietly.

"He's not lucky, he just doesn't give me cause to play around with him, unlike you. Please excuse me for the last time, we do have work to do." Zoë said as she walked out. Walter kept his mouth shut as he began to do some work. 30 minutes later, Horatio walked into the lab where Eric and Walter were working. Both looked up at him as he placed his left hand on his hip as he held his sunglasses in his right.

"Gentlemen" He greeted lowly as he glanced down to the desk.

"H, I'm sorry about earlier, I thought he was going to knock." Eric said softly and Horatio nodded and then looked to Walter, tilted his head and looked to his desk.

"I'm really so sorry, sir. I didn't think." Walter squirmed.

Horatio glanced up at him before looking back to the desk. "I would appreciate it if you were to knock next time. You could have made Zoë extremely uncomfortable, she rarely asks for help and when she does, she doesn't need any intrusion from you." Horatio said firmly and Walter nodded.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again." Walter said as he looked up at Horatio and Horatio nodded.

"Eric, I'd like a word with you, please?" Horatio questioned, with his stance softening and his tone following suit. Eric nodded and then walked out with Horatio after snapping his gloves off.

"What's the problem, H?" Eric asked softly as they walked through the lab and then stopped, far away from anyone else.

"There's no problem, Eric." Horatio replied as he turned on the spot so his left shoulder was facing him instead of his right. "Eric, I wanted to ask if you'd like to be the best man at my wedding?" Horatio asked quietly as he looked down at his sunglasses in his hands, lightly running his right hand index finger and thumb along the arm of them.

"Of course, thank you H, it'll be an honour." Eric smiled and Horatio looked up at him, a little shocked.

A smile tugged at his lips as Eric smiled at him. "Thank you brother." Horatio said softly and then shook Eric's hand. Eric nodded at him, looking extremely happy.

"I should warn you…" Horatio said softly as he looked back down to his sunglasses. "Zoë wants to have suits tailored for you, so don't be too surprised is she drags you off to be measured and fitted." Horatio said softly as he looked back up to Eric as he began to chuckle with a wide smile.

"Thanks for the warning H" Eric chuckled again. Horatio nodded with a smile and then walked off as they parted ways.

Zoë and Horatio returned home after shift and slumped on to the sofa, both exhausted. Zoë took a deep breath and then got up and stood in front of Horatio with a smile. He looked up at her and tilted his head, wondering what she was doing. She then slowly placed her right knee on the sofa beside his left thigh and tilted her head slightly. He placed his left hand on the outside of her thigh with a smile as he maintained eye-contact with her. She then placed her left knee on the sofa beside his right thigh and shuffled up to sit on his thighs with a smile. She placed her hands flat on his chest and smiled down at him as he placed both hands on her waist.

"I've asked Eric if he'll be the best man and he's agreed." Horatio said softly as he ran both hands up to the bottom of her ribs and back down.

"Ah fantastic! Do you want to ring Nathan to ask for him to be your groomsman? You don't have to ask him, I could just make him wear a tailored suit anyway. Or I could ring if you wanted?" Zoë said softly as she gently rubbed his strong chest, feeling the smooth cotton beneath her fingers and palms.

"I'll ring him sweetheart, it's okay. May I ask who your bridesmaids are?" Horatio asked softly as he relaxed his head back on the sofa as she shuffled forwards again.

"Of course, well obviously there's Kaitlin who is head bridesmaid, Alexx and perhaps Jessica. I'm undecided on Jessica." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded. "With Joe walking me down the aisle obviously." She said as she felt his hands slowly travel down her thighs and back up to her waist as he smiled up at her.

"Where would you like this to be held?" Horatio asked softly as she moved both hands to his shoulders.

"I'm not sure, I was going to ask you the same thing. We can marry in a church though, I thought you'd prefer it?" Zoë asked softly as she leant forwards and linked her fingers together behind his head.

He looked into her eyes, inches from his. "If you're completely happy with that." Horatio said softly.

"Of course." She smiled with a nod as she kissed the corner of his lips once.

"I was then thinking that the wedding reception could be held at one of the hotels on the beach front?" Zoë asked softly as she flicked her hair back with a smile.

"That sounds great."

"Please tell me if you don't like the sound of something."

"So far, I'm in love with the plans. But the main thing is that you're happy." Horatio said softly as he moved his hands up her spine.

She tilted her head at him and her eyes softened more. "No, the main thing is that we're both happy." Zoë said softly and Horatio gave her a smile and chuckled a little before he placed a kiss on her nose again, which caused her to giggle and kiss his back.

She sat back up straight and placed her hands on his chest. "I'm going to have to ring Kaitlin again soon and we need to start thinking about the guest list and invites soon."

"We can do the invites this weekend?" Horatio asked softly and Zoë nodded as she undone one more button on his shirt, to expose a little of his chest hair.

"Sounds like a plan." She grinned and Horatio then placed a delicate kiss on her lips as he sat back up. She leant against him and pushed him back and rested her head on his shoulder as he turned his head to hers to look at her happy expression. He felt her left hand move into his hair at the back of his head and he closed his eyes for a few moments, just to receive that extra bit of sensation.

"I can't wait. I love you so much, I knew from the first time we kissed that we'd marry." She smiled sweetly at him.

"I had hopes of marriage ever since I got to know you, when we kissed that first time here, by the front door, I knew it would come true." Horatio said softly and she grinned as she stopped running her hand through his hair and began to concentrate on playing with small strands of short hair.

"Oh yeah well, technically our first kiss was when I was under the influence of drugs… and my inhibition was down so I just kissed you because I wanted to. But I like to remember our first kiss as that magical kiss that happened right by the front door." She grinned and Horatio nodded as he moved closer and kissed her passionately again as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Dinner, shower and then bed?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded and then kissed her again.

"I love you" Horatio said softly as he rubbed her sides gently.

"I love you too" Zoë said as she tenderly stroked his cheek with the backs of her fingers with a natural smile.

The End

**Thank you all for reading, my next story is called Obsessive Desire.**

**Please R&R, thank you! **


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